If you are ever at the mall and someone offers you eight bucks to take a survey, say “yes,” not because the pay is great but because you might just get to watch the first footage from what appears to be the new, long-awaited Harry Potter open world RPG that will send players to Hogwarts in the 19th century.
This exciting news (we learned about from Metro) was first announced on Reddit, where a user shared footage they secretly recorded of a game trailer they were paid to watch. It features young wizards dueling, fighting, and exploring Hogwarts’ Great Hall, Forbidden Forest, and other locations, as well as a number of recognizable magical animals seen in Fantastic Beasts.
Leaked Harry Potter game in development by Rocksteady from r/gaming
Obviously that’s Hogwarts and this is a Harry Potter game, but if there was any question as to what that footage shows, the survey also included a write-up about the game:
“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.”
The setting will allow players–who can choose from eight different wizards or create their own on a path of either good or evil–to “embark on a journey through both familiar and never before seen locations to bring to light the truth behind these mysterious occurrences,” in an “all new story separate from the books or films.”
How we got to see this footage is surprising, but the game itself is not. There have been rumors of a new Harry Potter game in development since last year when Avalanche Software, which is owned by Warner Bros., put out a job listing for a Senior Writer with “a deep understanding of British culture and grammatical presentation” to help “create an immersive game narrative.”
https://twitter.com/GamepIay/status/1047166894606827520
While Warner Bros. has already pulled the footage from YouTube, that could be for any number of reasons including that it’s simply an idea at the moment and not formally in production. Just because we’ve seen some early footage doesn’t mean we will ever get to play it. Plenty of games, even highly anticipated ones, never get released. We hope that’s not the case here though, because Harry Potter is perfect for an open world RPG.
So until we get any solid announcements about a release date make sure you say “yes” to any and all mall surveys. You never know what kind of magical footage you’ll get to see.
What part of this trailer has you most excited to play the game? Tell us in the comments below.
Featured Image: Warner Bros.
