The long-rumored but as-of-yet-unconfirmed Harry Potter RPG sounds like the most promising video game iteration of Harry Potter yet, at least as far as leaked details of the game go. So far, fans have only had a slow trickle of information, coupled with a brief segment of leaked Harry Potter RPG gameplay from a few years ago. However, if blended with a game like The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, fans could receive a Harry Potter game worth playing for the next decade.
At launch, Skyrim was hailed by fans and critics as a genre-defining RPG. While it's initial scope has been met, and in some cases surpassed, by games like The Witcher 3, a Harry Potter game with the same sense of scale, discovery, and lore as Skyrim would manage to captivate an audience that has had, at best, a tumultuous experience with games.
For the most part, Harry Potter games have been disappointing. There was a string of lackluster Harry Potter titles following the release of the movies, with the LEGO Harry Potter games having the best claim to fame, besides Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, which was released all the way back in 2002 and is considered a hidden gem by many.
Skyrim fans, to a degree, have gotten new content in the form of Elder Scrolls Online, but many have struggled to adapt to the blend of MMO gameplay elements, leaving a sizable gap between Skyrim and Elder Scrolls 6 for some. Skyrim remains one of the most popular RPGs of all time, which makes the gap between the two entries — which will likely be greater than a decade — seem all the more ridiculous.
Besides the inclusion of fantasy elements like magic, the two franchises share very little in common beyond a surface level. That being said, Skyrim's format could fit a variety of different franchises, Harry Potter is just a surprisingly natural one. Iconic locations like Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade could easily take the place of Skyrim's major cities, offering a hub for players to shop, pick up quests, and possibly purchase a home.
To-scale representations of these locations, all within the context of, ideally, an open-world, would be a dream for many Harry Potter fans, and could be the most well-realized iteration of the Wizarding World fans have ever seen. Harry Potter fans have seen a ton of Hogwarts, which should absolutely be a central part of the Harry Potter RPG, but allowing the game to, at least in part, focus on the wider Wizarding World seems like an important step for the franchise.
Again, that doesn't mean that Hogwarts can't be included. In many ways, a Harry Potter RPG with Skyrim elements would likely parallel the College of Winterhold in Skyrim, just on a much bigger level. Whether that's the mystery of the Midden and the Atronach Forge, or the cast of student mages each designing their own experiments, the general sense of mystery, exploration, and camaraderie with other students should translate to the Harry Potter RPG.
Even Skyrim's progression system could be used to draw inspiration from. One of the key factors of Skyrim – and most modern Bethesda RPGs – is "you are who you play," a key mantra Bethesda used when designing Skyrim, and a used in marketing materials heading into the game's launch. Harry Potter features a variety of magic, from potions to defense against the dark arts. That system would translate surprising well to a Harry Potter RPG, with specializations unlocking new perks within different perk trees.
This isn't to say that the Harry Potter RPG should be a copy-pasted take on Skyrim with a different finish. There are plenty of ways that the game could separate itself, and tons of different aspects from the Wizarding World that fans want to see translated into the Harry Potter game, whatever it ends up being. Things like Quidditch are a must-have, as well as the wide range of creatures seen in Harry Potter media like Fantastic Beasts.
It isn't clear when fans will get to see the Harry Potter RPG. Warner Bros. has a few different announcements that are rumored to debut, like the next Batman game, and with E3 canceled, there's no telling when those announcements will take place. Fans might hear something at one of this month's gaming events, but it's difficult to say.
A Harry Potter RPG is rumored to be in development.