UPDATE: Warner Brothers Entertainment Interactive has had the leaked footage blocked on copyright grounds. A more thorough description of the video has been added.
Footage appeared on Reddit this morning of what appears to be a new video game set in the Harry Potter universe. Reddit user VapeThisBro claims the footage was recorded in secret during a focus group. The video shows a character creation mode, wanton magical destruction, magical creatures, and more.
The video begins with a shot of the Great Hall, followed by a shot of some staircases and the Hogwarts coat of arms. A character creator is shown. The options appear robust, but categories have titles like [MENU_SKINCOLOR] implying this is still a rather early build. A student and what appear to be a teacher perform transfiguration spells, turning a cup into an hourglass and an owl into a book. A herbology greenhouse follows, then what appears to be a student brewing a potion is shown. The next few shots imply an open-world structure, showing a player character walking in a village, possibly Hogsmeade, what is likely the Forbidden Forest (complete with a magical beast), and entering some sort of old tunnel.
Once inside, the player casts Lumos, cementing the Harry Potter connection. A sequence of shots illustrating magic’s use in puzzle solving follow. Loose pieces of parchment are sorted, a spider web is burned away, and a blocked door is blown open. One of the enemies blocking the door is blown back and impaled on a piece of the destroyed door. The next scene focuses on combat, showing a player casting spells at approaching enemies and using magic to bring a structure down onto a group of foes. Some small creatures are fed, wizard dueling is shown, and the trailer ends with some short clips of a fight with what looks to be a troll.
VapeThisBro also posted some additional information allegedly taken from some marketing material. The information below is presented as it was posted and does include some spelling and grammatical errors.
- Set in the 19th Century (1800’s) Wizarding World, this 3rd person open-world action RPG game centers around your character with unique abilities who has eared a late acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You are a newly arrived 5th year student to Hogwarts that demonstrates a latent gift for magic with a unique ability to track and identify remnants of a pottant ancient power.
- Upon arrival, strange events begin to materialize In the Forbidden Forrest and trouble begins o brew within the castle walls. Together with Professor Elezar Fig, you embark on a journey through both familiar and never before seen locations to bring to light the truth behind these mysterious occurrences.
- On your quest you will craft potions, master new spells, and discover fantastical beasts. You will battle Dark Wizards, Goblins, and other supernatural enemies and uncover the truth about your destiny – the Fate of the Wizarding World lies in your hands.
- FEATURES – Journey to Hogwarts to become one of 8 different Wizard types -Experience Hogwarts, make new friends, uncover new secrets, and change the fate of the Wizarding world. -Experience a new magic system that creates countless possibilities to master magic. -Freely explore the Wizarding World for the first time., Choose your house and friends at Hogwarts, and decide to pursue a path of good or evil. -Create your own witch or wizard, and experience a all new story separate from the books or films
VapeThisBro also noted that in additional material, there is an emphasis on the choice between being a “good” or “bad” wizard. The Unforgivable Curses, including the Killing Curse, are mentioned as being available for use. The stage seems to be set for a darker story than we’ve seen in previous Harry Potter games.
Avalanche Software, the studio behind the Disney Infinity games, is the developer most linked with today’s leaked project, thanks in large part to a job posting from a year and a half ago. The job posting was for a senior writer with “a deep understanding of British culture and grammatical presentation” and “work that shows a deep understanding of gaming narrative and branching storytelling, particularly in the realms of RPGs”. Avalanche Software doesn’t have a history of making RPGs, but the leaked footage certainly looks promising.
The unconfirmed and untitled Harry Potter RPG would join the growing number of Wizarding World-branded games. Hopefully the RPG will find more critical acclaim than the disappointing, microtransaction-stuffed Hogwarts Mystery released on mobile platforms earlier this year.
