'Harry Potter' Fans Just Got a Fantastic Update

By Michael Hein

Fans of the Harry Potter franchise are holding their breath this week for news on Hogwarts Legacy. Hogwarts Legacy is a role-playing video game set in J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World, but it's been about a year since fans got an update on development. On Monday, Game Rant reported that a PlayStation "State of Play" press conference on the game is coming this Thursday.

Hogwarts Legacy is one of many major video game projects to suffer setbacks during the COVID-19 pandemic. The existence of the game was leaked way back in 2018 when fans puzzled out the project on Avalanche Software's slate. The official announcement came in September of 2020, when it was included in the PlayStation Future of Gaming Showcase. Now, PlayStation is holding a "State of Play" presentation on Thursday specifically for Hogwarts Legacy.

While Sony's PlayStation is clearly taking the lead on this one, Hogwarts Legacy will not be a PlayStation exclusive game. It will be available on the Xbox Series X/S and the PlayStation 5 at least, and possibly other consoles. Back in September of 2020, the developers estimated that Hogwarts Legacy would be released in 2021, but that clearly didn't come to pass.

Fans of the Harry Potter franchise and of video games, in general, have long remarked that the Wizarding World produces surprisingly good video games, many of which exceed expectations. Most of the biggest titles we've seen have simply been RPG renditions of the movies and books, but Hogwarts Legacy generated a new kind of excitement since it seemed to be a story all its own. We've also gotten glimpses of character creation and customization screens, indicating that this game will have some flexibility for players to explore.

Of course, any excitement has been tempered now by Harry Potter author Rowling's transphobic campaign against transgender rights. The author continues to make posts on social media speaking out against transgender rights, often mocking activists on the other side of the issue in the process.

According to Game Rant, Warner Bros. Interactive has specifically stated that Rowling has no influence or input in the creation of Hogwarts Legacy, presumably in the hopes of overcoming this criticism. However, Rowling's critics often point out that she profits off of all Harry Potter media and merchandise, so purchasing those things inevitably supports her and her rhetoric. Many now have a hard line in the sand against spending money on new Harry Potter products.

This resolve will be tested on Thursday, March 17 at 2 p.m. ET, when PlayStation livestreams a first look at Hogwarts Legacy. There's no word yet on when the game itself will be available.

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