Following reports that controversial open-world genre crockpot Hogwarts Legacy racked up sales over 250% above Warner Bros’ predictions, a new game in the wizard series has been announced. Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions is exactly what it sounds like — it’s a multiplayer sports game about quidditch, the Harry Potter in-universe equivalent of football.
The game was rather unceremoniously announced by Warner Bros in a tweet, because nothing says ‘scrambling to capitalise on a recent hit’ quite like throwing out the marketing plan.
Calling all Beaters, Chasers, Keepers, and Seekers! Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions limited playtest signups are live now! Sign up at https://t.co/E9cQekLOzV. #QuidditchChampions pic.twitter.com/AQhKfg4NKD
— Warner Bros. Games (@wbgames) April 17, 2023
More evidence of the game’s hurried announcement can be found on the Portkey Games website, where Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions isn’t even listed. The game does have its own, currently very bare-bones website, however, where interested players can find an FAQ and sign up for upcoming playtests.
The game is in development at Unbroken Studios, which is working under WB’s Harry Potter publishing arm Portkey Games. Unbroken is best known for the 2018 battle royale title Fractured Lands, which was ultimately pulled from Steam during its early access period. It is also serving as a support studio on Rocksteady’s recently re-delayed Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League.
Hogwarts Legacy, which was released in February, infamously did not include quidditch despite modelling the wizarding school’s stadium in great detail. Its absence may now make more sense. Why put quidditch in your big open-world game when you can spin it off into its own stand-alone, no doubt full-priced, product?
Harry Potter: Quidditch Legends does not yet have a release date and is coming to PC and unspecified consoles at some point in the future. JK Rowling, the creator of Harry Potter, still holds horrible views on transgender people and will, with any luck, not be allowed anywhere near the game.
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