A substantial new report has revealed a ton of details on the long-rumoured Harry Potter RPG. Alleged footage of the magical adventure, said to be in development at Avalanche Studios, first surfaced back in 2018. Publisher Warner Bros. has yet to officially acknowledge the title in any capacity, however.
Two unnamed sources on the development team have now confirmed to Bloomsberg that the 2018 footage was, in fact, the real deal. They've also confirmed that the RPG is currently in development for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, and that it'll be releasing late 2021. There was no mention of a PC release.
As had previously been rumoured, the RPG will be an open world adventure that re-creates Hogwarts and its surrounding areas. Just writing that has put a massive smile on my face, I have to say. The game is expected to be revealed soon after the next Batman game, which itself is to be unveiled during the DC FanDome event in August.
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Both Harry Potter and Batman were supposed to debut during a massive Warner Bros. show at E3 2020, but the cancellation of the convention caused the publisher to change its plans.
The report also reveals that Harry Potter creator J.K Rowling has had very little direct involvement with the project. This will likely come as a relief to many, given the author's repeated trans-exclusionary stances on Twitter. Indeed, the developers who spoke to Bloomberg explained that her comments in regards to the transgender community had been a source of great stress for the team over the last few months
A leak shared online last month suggested that the game will be called Hogwarts: A Dark Legacy, and put players in the shoes of a fifth-year student who transferred to Hogwarts from another magical school.
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This same leak also claimed that there'll be a customisation system, and the ability to choose between pureblood, half-blood, or muggle-born. This, apparently, will have gameplay ramifications. Certain characters will react to you react to you differently depending on your heritage, just as certain witches and wizards would in the books.
It's worth noting that this leak is completely unverified, however, so take it with a pinch of salt. The only thing it has in common with the Bloomberg report is in noting that the game will feature Hogwarts and several surrounding areas. Though I guess that's kind of a given for an open world Harry Potter RPG, right?
Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros.Topics: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Warner Bros