This week saw the release of Hogwarts Legacy, the video game set in the world of the Harry Potter books that millions have been waiting for years.
This story explains why everyone should know what the game and the frenzy surrounding it is all about.
1. The hype of years is unraveling
Hogwarts Legacy is one of the most drooling games in the world and has been awaited for years, even decades.
Harry Potter fans have been lusting after the big budget video game practically since they could read by JK Rowling books and watched Warner films. The wait lasted more than 20 years.
A gameplay video of Hogwarts Legacy leaked more than four years ago, but the upcoming game was officially announced to the public in September 2020, and its creator Avalanche Software promised that players would be able to immerse themselves in Hogwarts, the school of wizards and witches, as early as the following year.
However, many game studios faced problems in recent years caused by, among other things, the coronavirus. The promised release dates of the games are sensitive to changes anyway, and so the release of Hogwarts Legacy was first postponed to 2022 and later once again to February 2023 – this Friday.
You could get your hands on the game as early as the beginning of the week if you were willing to pay extra. So many people wanted to play Hogwarts Legacy in advance that it already went live on Steam in the middle of the week second most concurrently played single game of all time (you switch to another service). Streaming service on Twitch Hogwarts Legacy broke single player viewership records (you’ll switch to another service).
2. Don’t underestimate a young adult’s love of nostalgia
Harry Potter and Hogwarts is a generational experience that has permeated young adults around the world. That’s why this moment is meaningful for many.
Something about the magical world created in the Harry Potter books still inspires enormously across the ages, even though many of those who spent their youth at Hogwarts have already passed the age of 30.
Hogwarts Legacy is to 2020s thirty-somethings and younger what Star Wars Episodes 1-3 were to millennial thirtysomethings who grew up in the 1970s-80s with the original three films.
The passion is also compared to the Lord of the Rings series, which those who loved The Lord of the Rings books and movies were waiting for like the rising moon last year.
The first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, was published in 1997, after which books were published approximately every year. The movie version of the first book came out in 2001. Many people have grown up with books and movies, and the magic of Hogwarts has not disappeared as they get older.
An important factor in the dynamics of Hogwarts are the school’s four rooms, into which students are sorted on the first day at Hogwarts, among other things, based on character traits. Fans can do their own cabin test online.
For the most die-hard Potter fans, which of the school’s four houses – Daredevil, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff – is playfully defining the whole minute and personality, a bit like horoscopes for others.
Now even this expression of fandom can be taken further than before, because in the game you can choose your own house and build your own house identity.
3. The game is boycotted because of the author
Hogwarts Legacy has long been the subject of criticism – and the reason is not really the game itself, but JK Rowling, who created the world.
In recent years, Rowling has expressed opinions that have been interpreted as mocking trans people. For example, in the summer of 2020, he joked that he remembered how there used to be a word for people who have periods.
At that time, for example, a writer with a trans background, who grew up with the Harry Potter books Susi Nousiainen said he can be a fan of Hogwarts without being a fan of the person who created it.
Many on social media however, they have said they will boycott the game (you will switch to another service) Because of Rowling’s views, even if they once loved books and movies.
Rowling was not involved in the development of the game, but she will benefit financially because she owns the intellectual property rights to the Harry Potter world.
However, diversity was taken into account in the game itself: when you create your own wizard or witch in the game, you don’t choose the gender. The game also features the first trans character of the magical world. In addition, Hogwarts and the rest of the wizarding world have characters from, for example, Uganda and India, and one female game character refers to his wife.
Still, Hogwarts Legacy can’t completely escape the criticism leveled at Rowling, as the entire game wouldn’t exist without her.
4. Hogwarts Legacy lives up to expectations – in part
Hype and nostalgia only carry a certain distance. At the end of the day, games are always about whether they are actually good to play. Hogwarts Legacy is getting a positive reception, but it also has its problems.
You can play the game even if you’re not a big Potter fan: the game’s story and world carry far even for those who don’t know the magical world.
However, for true fans, the game is a dream come true, because at the very beginning, the player gets to become a student at the school through the sorting ceremony and explore the castle, its rooms and the surrounding wizarding world freely.
Test your knowledge: This quiz will reveal if you are a Hogwarts Superfan
Hogwarts Legacy has been praised among fans precisely because the game has modeled the entire Hogwarts and the rest of the wizarding world – including places that the movies never showed. No one has been able to see, for example, the living room of Puuskupuh’s hut, but now you can get to know it for yourself.
The player gets access to Hogwarts lessons and learns new spells, but in addition to that can do tasks that further the main plot. There’s plenty to explore. Hogwarts feels familiar and safe.
The game experience is slightly different for students from different classes. The player can also choose whether to side with the good guys or join the forces of darkness, which naturally changes the direction of the game.
IGN’s gaming site Travis Northup write in your positive review (you switch to another service) That Hogwarts Legacy is almost exactly the kind of Harry Potter role-playing game he’s always wanted to play.
However, he notes that the game’s story has more gaps than fishnet tights.
In addition, the performance of Hogwarts Legacy receives satikut in several reviews. The same problem has plagued the most significant massive game releases for years.
Fortunately, these problems can also be fixed to some extent afterwards, as e.g. Cyberpunk 2077 has shown.
The name of the game’s developer was added to the story at 11:44.
What thoughts did the story evoke? How does Hogwarts Legacy make you feel? You can discuss the topic on 11.2. until 11 p.m.