Hogwarts Legacy, the highly anticipated open-world RPG set in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, has been delayed from 2021 into an unspecified date in 2022. The announcement came via the game’s official Twitter account, with the text on an image that has now become ubiquitous in video game delay announcements.
— Hogwarts Legacy (@HogwartsLegacy) January 13, 2021
“Creating the best possible experience for all of the Wizarding World and gaming fans is paramount to us so we are giving the game the time that it needs,” the post reads. “Hogwarts Legacy will be released in 2022.”
Hogwarts Legacy is an open-world RPG set in and around the Hogwarts school grounds. The game takes place in the 1800s, well before the likes of Harry Potter and other popular Wizarding World characters. Coming from Avalanche Studios—the one behind Disney Infinity, not the Just Cause developer of the same name—and Portkey Games, Hogwarts Legacy is a continued exercise in expanding the Wizarding World beyond “the boy who lived,” Harry Potter.
It was officially revealed in September last year, though it had been leaked and rumored for years before that. Hogwarts Legacy has received some pushback from people based on the vocal anti-trans views of Wizarding World creator J.K. Rowling. This pushback led to WB Games releasing a statement minimizing Rowling’s involvement with the game. The publisher’s president then also made additional comments during that time saying that Rowling “has a right to her opinions.” It’s still unclear just how much say Rowling has over Hogwarts Legacy, and whether or not she’ll receive royalties from sales of the game.
Originally set to launch at an unspecified date in 2021, the shift to 2022 gives the developers a lot of room to work on the game. Without a release window, it may be late 2022 before players get to journey to Hogwarts for themselves. Hogwarts Legacy is in development for both current and last-gen consoles, but it’s unclear if the delay will impact the cross-gen release.
