Portkey Games and Warner Bros. have announced an official release date for Hogwarts Legacy, which arrives on February 10, 2023 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, and PC. The Nintendo Switch release date will be announced at a later date.
Before now Hogwarts Legacy only had a release window of “Holiday 2022,” and it’s clear the team needed just a bit more to add some polish. The game’s official Twitter account made a statement on the delay, saying “The team is excited for you to play, but we need a little more time to deliver the best possible game experience,” the tweet says.”
A lot is still unknown about Hogwarts Legacy, as Portkey Games has only shared a handful of gameplay trailers. Set at Hogwarts in the late 1800s, players take on the role of a student starting their fifth year at the wizarding school. Players can freely explore the grounds of Hogwarts and its surrounding areas, while undertaking classes like Charms, Herbology, and Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Hogwarts Legacy has a lot of the trappings of typical open-world games, like an in-depth character creator and a morality system that ties into the player’s interactions with NPCs. Here are some of the highlights from the game’s official website,
- Explore an Open World – The wizarding world awaits you. Freely roam Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, the Forbidden Forest, and the surrounding Overland area.
- Be the Witch or Wizard You Want to be – Learn spells, brew potions, grow plants, and tend to magical beasts along your journey. Get sorted into your house, forge relationships, and master skills to become the witch or wizard you want to be.
- Experience a New Wizarding World Adventure – Experience the wizarding world in an unexplored era to uncover a hidden truth from its past. Battle against trolls, Dark Wizards, goblins, and more as you face a dangerous villain threatening the fate of the wizarding world.
Unfortunately, Hogwarts Legacy also has a bit of controversy attached to it, like with everything Harry Potter-related lately. Fans have questioned the game’s ties to the series’ creator J.K. Rowling, who’s come under fire in recent years for transphobic comments. This led to Warner Bros. clarifying that Rowling isn’t involved with the game at all, and highlighting how Hogwarts Legacy will allow transgender characters to be created.
