Hogwarts Legacy has been a dream for many Harry Potter fans, and the Steam Wishlist charts only confirm a very simple truth: the world has been aching for a proper roleplaying game set in the Wizarding World for a very long time. With Hogwarts Legacy releasing in February 2023, excitement for the title has been ramping up across social media, and Avalanche Software have stoked the enthusiasm with trailers, gameplay videos, and press releases.
The premise of Hogwarts Legacy is pretty straightforward: an open world roleplaying game set in the Wizarding World where the players attend Hogwarts as a transfer student – becoming embroiled in a plot of intrigue, mystery, and adventure. They can create their own character, choose their own Hogwarts House, and immerse themselves in very familiar place from the Harry Potter saga in an unfamiliar time.
No doubt this sounds exciting to anyone who has read the books or seen and enjoyed the films, and the Steam Wishlist chart exposes that the game's potential audience is vast. Beating out games such as Bethesda's Starfield, Hogwarts Legacy is on track to be one of the biggest video game releases of 2023.
Hogwarts Legacy will have dark magic in the game, and the overall tone seems to veer towards exploring the eerier side of the Wizarding World, placing much of the game's open world within the Forbidden Forest. While perhaps not an outright horror game, Hogwarts Legacy seems to be very comfortable in leaning into the genre through side quests such as the Haunted Hogsmeade Shop, or even letting players unlock infamous spells such as the Cruciatus Curse.
In addition to the areas outside the school grounds, the game will also place an emphasis on exploring the lovingly recreated halls of Hogwarts, with each House in Hogwarts Legacy having its own common room for players to relax in. Furthermore, players will be able to customize their own home within the Room of Requirement's Vivarium, with the Room of Requirement seemingly serving as the base of operations for the player. Though some features like Quiddich will not be in Hogwarts Legacy at launch, the game will enjoy extensive post-launch support by the development team.
Hogwarts Legacy has also received some backlash from PC, Xbox, and Switch fans over the PlayStation exclusive content that other players won't have access to. While the PlayStation exclusive content in Hogwarts Legacy will likely be added some time after launch – it's clear that Avalanche Software and Warner Bros. are telling the fans that the best way to experience the game when it premieres will be on a PlayStation.
Hogwarts Legacy launches February 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S with a Switch version also in development.
Source: Steam
