How Hogwarts Legacy Became Incredibly Popular in Just a Few Days and Why Hundreds of Thousands of People Can’t Stop Playing It

Not long ago, the long-awaited video game Hogwarts Legacy was released. It’s a huge event for all the fans of the wizarding world. The game became incredibly popular. Right now, more than 500,000 people are playing it and the number keeps growing. This is why we were really interested in finding out why the game is so captivating.

It’s been more than 20 years since the world started following Harry Potter’s story. For many fans, the books and movies were not enough, so video games were also added. But all of them lacked something. So, when, in 2020, the developers announced Hogwarts Legacy, the fans were ecstatic. The developers promised to do everything to make the players feel as if they are students of Hogwarts.

In all these years, the actors that appeared in the Harry Potter movies have changed quite a lot. We’ve mentioned it in several of our articles.

The release date of the game was constantly being pushed back until finally, in February 2023, the game was released to the public. Even before the official release, fans were a little disappointed that the game did not include multiplayer. They didn’t like that there was only one option for playing — single player. There was no team or playing with friends.

The game was released on February 10th, but the developers released the unique Deluxe Edition versions a little earlier, and the project immediately took off. Therefore, to the delight of fans, enthusiasts immediately began playing in multiplayer mode. It’s not an official update, but it looks very promising.

Hogwarts Legacy is an open-world RPG. This means that players can freely explore the vast territories of Hogwarts and visit Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, and even the Forbidden Forest. The castle is well thought out — with secret rooms, disappearing staircases, moving paintings, and even a string quartet playing on its own.

We get to play as a student that gets into Hogwarts in 5th year. At first, we choose the house, but it doesn’t affect anything. Interestingly, the most popular choice among players is Slytherin. There are additional side quests. For example, to destroy 60 spiders, pop hot air balloons, find hundreds of pages from a book, and see all the constellations in the sky.

The events in the game take place 100 years before Harry Potter and his adventures. The story begins with the goblin Ranrok starting a rebellion against wizards. The player’s task is to deal with this story between classes, side quests, and exploring the magical world. The character interacts with familiar people — the smart Professor Sharp (an analog of Professor Snape, brilliantly played on screen by Alan Rickman) and the stern but fair Professor Matilda Weasley. You can even interact with other students but not very much.

Also, the magical world is impossible without the Fantastic Beasts. In the game, you can visit Vivarium, study the Beasts, and pet and feed them. If you are tired of fighting, you can walk for hours, feed Nifflers, and change the nature around you.

The developers did a good job of conforming to modern tendencies. In Hogwarts Legacy, there’s the first transgender witch, Sirona Ryan. She’s the owner of Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade, and you can find out more about her story in a quest.

But the game has its flaws. The developers didn’t add Quidditch, and it would have been a lot of fun to try and catch the Snitch or avoid Bludgers. Yes, you can fly a broom, but it’s quite slow. Also, Hogwarts is quite empty. There should be around 1,000 students, but the corridors look almost deserted.

Also, the plot includes a moral dilemma. From the books and movies about Harry Potter, we know that there are Unforgivable Curses, and using them can get you in Azkaban. However, in the game, they can be used without any restrictions. Moreover, the “evil” character will receive various advantages in battles. The only real consequence is a “tarnished reputation.” However, even choosing the dark path will not affect the main events, and it won’t be possible to switch sides anyway.

• I would happily have traded a good 50 % of the open world for some more classes and the feeling of attending Hogwarts. Give me a schedule and have a day/night cycle that actually reflects being a student. © Ryuuzoji / Reddit
• Pros: great world building, some nice puzzles, singular side quests are interesting, Hogsmeade as the actual star of the game.
  Cons: horrible dialogues, lackluster underdeveloped villain, not enough quality content, too much underdeveloped stuff, trivial story, Hogwarts is grand but lifeless. © PatrusoGE / Reddit

But Hogwarts Legacy has not become the most successful game in the world of Harry Potter for nothing. After all, it really has impressive graphics. Numerous spells are shown, with cool visual effects. Even with its flaws, this game is a real gift for those generations of readers who grew up regretting not receiving their letters at the age of 11.