It’s a tale as old as gaming when a title gets pushed to release too soon, while still being full of bugs. This can come as a result of any number of factors from publisher decisions to simply running out of time. Either way, the result can be a buggy mess that is borderline unplayable at times because it was released before its time. This will always come as an unpleasant shock to gamers, who may have been waiting years for that title to release. Last year’ssurprising release ofCyberpunk 2077is a prime example and argument of releasing a game only when it’s ready.
Speaking of hype, there are few more franchises that rile fans up like theHarry Potteruniverse. As a magical place of interesting people and creatures, many fans of Hogwarts have dreamed of visiting that world in an RPG format. While there have beenHarry Pottergames in the past, none have caught the attention thatHarry Potter: Hogwarts Legacyhas. When it was announced last September,Harry Potter: Hogwarts Legacywas released with a trailer that promised longtime fans of the franchise the ability to live a life as a Hogwarts student. Since then, the game has been delayed into 2022, and that can only be a good thing for the game’s quality.
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Why the Delay?
Again, thisdelay can only be good forHogwarts Legacy.The developer is clearly devoted to giving this ambitious project the extra room it needs to breathe while still being understanding of the general excitement from fans. This may include graphics, story, or game mechanic improvements that will be worth the wait, all of which has indubitably been challenged more recently due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Also, since its announcement last year,Hogwarts Legacyhas been in hot water from the online community as fans havecriticized series creator J.K. Rowlingfor a series of transphobic comments. It is likely that the developer would benefit from time to distance itself from Rowling by making sure its game supports equality.
How It Can Help
IfHogwarts Legacyhad released in 2021 like was originally planned, it would most likely have had to be playable on both current and next-gen consoles in order to increase availability. As many saw fromCD Projekt Red’sCyberpunk 2077,trying to make a next-gen game work on a current-gen system results in missing textures, bugs, and lost components altogether. It would benefit Avalanche Software in the long haul to prioritize making a beautiful game that bursts with magic, and focusing on systems that can run it properly will allow for that to happen. While there’s every chance it still comes to PS4 and Xbox One, many may be transition to next-gen in 2022 anyway, allowing the developer to focus on that market instead of every console out there.
Withtechnology specific to the PS5and Xbox Series X,Hogwarts Legacycan take an extra step in connecting players to the in-game wizarding world in unique ways that wouldn’t work for current-gen consoles. The next-gen tech would allow for a much more complex game too. With the beefier system, how the magic and spells work could be as beautiful as it is fun to cast. Everything inHogwarts Legacystands to improve if it uses this delay as an opportunity to focus on only releasing a next-gen version of the game.
There are many who have chosen to boycott this game or theHarry Potterseries because of comments made by J.K. Rowling in recent years. These comments were disappointing and a let down for so many fans who had grown up feeling at home in Hogwarts. It didn’t help when one of the designers onHogwarts Legacydrew criticism for past videos that supported the targeting of female developers and defending a Disney executive who had willfully admitted to sexual misconduct in the workplace. Since then, thatHogwarts Legacydeveloper quit Avalanche, hopefully leaving it all the more time to focus on making a game that welcomes everyone.
Hogwarts Legacyis in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X for release in 2022.
