A game like Hogwarts Legacy is something Harry Potter fans have been dreaming of for years. Hogwarts Legacy is an open-world RPG that lets players create their own student to attend Hogwarts, taking part in all the classes and activities they’ve seen in the books and films. But it seems not every one of these iconic wizarding school activities may be playable in the game.
Harry Potter has many iconic elements that could so easily translate into game mechanics for Hogwarts Legacy. Choosing which house to be put in, exploring the castle grounds for secrets and attending classes to learn spells are all already embedded in the gaming consciousness as how a game like this should operate.
It appears however that one of the key elements of the Hogwarts experience might be missing from Hogwarts Legacy. Quidditch, the wizarding world’s quintessential sport, has been a part of the Harry Potter series since the first book and has become so famous that it has inspired other Quidditch-style games. But with no mention of Quidditch in the trailers for Hogwarts Legacy it’s looking unlikely that a version of the sport will be playable upon the game’s release.
It is confirmed that Hogwarts Legacy will let players ride broomsticks in races, flying lessons, and as a method of traversing the game’s world. But Quidditch is quite a complicated team sport and could be a difficult thing to put in the game, especially a version that is responsive and plays well, as other Harry Potter games have re-created the sport of Quidditch with varying degrees of success. A fully playable Quidditch game mode, and associated side quests would also make for a prime DLC candidate down the road.
The genius of the Harry Potter series is that its school setting creates an instant relatability between the audience and the fantasy world they are buying into. No players have any experience with magic or dark wizards, but it is likely that they’ve been to school. Quidditch is the Hogwarts stand in for all things sport and athletics, which is a huge element of many school experiences and is why the fictional sport has become such an iconic facet of Hogwarts.
Even if a playable version of Quidditch is not seen in-game it may still appear in some form, as its own cultural element at Hogwarts. A golden snitch can be seen in the gameplay reveal trailer buzzing around the Gryffindor common room and the Quidditch field will also likely appear as an iconic landmark of the Hogwarts grounds.
Hogwarts Legacy is coming holiday 2022 to PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Gaming Intel