In the upcoming game Hogwarts Legacy, players will experience a digital life as a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry like never before, as they live the unwritten and embark on a dangerous journey to uncover a hidden truth of the wizarding world.
This highly anticipated game is filled with immersive magic, putting players at the center of their adventure to become the witch or wizard they choose to be. They will grow their character’s abilities as they master powerful spells, hone combat skills and select companions to help them face off against deadly enemies. Players will also encounter missions and scenarios that will pose difficult choices and determine what they stand for.
The story begins with players growing their magical abilities by mastering spells, brewing potions and taming fantastic beasts. Along the way, they will uncover an expansive world filled with perilous dangers tied to the wizarding world’s long forgotten past and an unusual ability that only they possess. The open-world journey takes players beyond Hogwarts to new and familiar wizarding world locations including the Forbidden Forest and Hogsmeade Village.
As Game Director Alan Tew states “The most ever-present part of the Wizarding World is its magic, and the playful nature and ‘realness’ of its distinct rules should fuel a surprising, dark mystery that tests the combined resources of those who discover it. But just as important are the opportunities to experience hundreds of memorable moments, small and large, that fans grew up with and know by heart: from being Sorted in the Great Hall, exploring a new secret chamber in Hogwarts, or impersonating others with Polyjuice Potion; to protecting innocents from a dangerous troll, dodging fireballs from a Hungarian Horntail, or soaring into the sky on the back of a friendly Hippogriff.”
The game’s Environmental Lead, Boston Madsen, has always been a huge Harry Potter fan. She knows the books inside and out, a crucial resource when it comes to designing a Hogwarts that can embrace feelings of both familiarity and discovery. “We built the Hogwarts we as fans ourselves wanted to explore,” Boston said. “I think anyone who has read the books, whether they are an artist or not, has built a version of Hogwarts in their heads.”
“There are familiar haunts like the Great Hall, clocktower and hospital wing, but also completely new places like the bustling kitchens,” Boston said. “Having felt like a student in these halls myself through the development of this game, I can honestly say there are still areas I come across that I didn’t know about before.”
A player’s typical life at Hogwarts is as much about finding secret chambers and sneaking into the prefects’ bathroom as it is learning to cast spells and brew potions. And depending on which Hogwarts house you’re in, you’ll get to see each common room’s distinct architecture, décor, and entrances. My fellow Slytherins will be particularly fond of our common room entrance vanishing into a wall behind the slithering body of an enormous stone serpent. We’re also excited to show you our takes on the not often seen Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff common rooms, Ravenclaws rest high in a tower while Hufflepuffs reside in a cozy basement. Expect more in-depth looks at the common rooms later this year.
As a game, Hogwarts Legacy goes well beyond the single location of Hogwarts to explore the village of Hogsmeade and the surrounding countryside. Hogsmeade is home to enchanting new characters with rich stories and personalities of their own, as well as vendors who will provide supplies you need for your schooling and other adventures.
Part of what makes Hogwarts Legacy so magical (pun intended) is exploring familiar locations in a new light, like just how close Hogsmeade is to Hogwarts or seeing the Forbidden Forest in the daylight. But to really offer a sense of freedom, Avalanche Software wanted to expand the scope of what you know about the land surrounding the castle.
“We wanted you to have new locations to discover; to see what lies around and beyond the Black Lake, to meet new witches and wizards in the dwellings that dot the landscape beyond Hogsmeade and learn what other undiscovered chambers lie within Hogwarts or scattered across the Scottish Highlands,” commented Game Director Alan Tew.
“There were hundreds of choices that had to be made between lore and gameplay and even some of the differences between each film and book,” Alan said. “Although we wanted to present a new interpretation of the wizarding world for gamers and prioritized a fun game before book or film authenticity, describing it this way can never capture how exhaustively we strived for authenticity and immediate recognition in everything we did.”