Will Hogwarts Legacy Feature Online Multiplayer?

Published: 24 Mar 2022 6:21 PM +00:00 Updated: 24 Mar 2022 6:21 PM +00:00

We recently got our first in-depth look at the upcoming open-world Wizarding World game Hogwarts Legacy. The 15-minute gameplay overview revealed many secrets, but there's one question that still needs answering: will Hogwarts Legacy feature online multiplayer?

Hogwarts Legacy is a brand-new RPG game from Portkey Games, and is the first Harry Potter-themed game to be open-world. Set in the iconic Wizarding World made famous in JK Rowling's books, the eight movies, and the three Fantastic Beasts spin-offs, Hogwarts Legacy will allow players to explore the magical world, with, of course, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry serving as the centerpiece of the story.

Your character is described as a student with a "unique ability to manipulate powerful, ancient magic hidden in the Wizarding World, and that "You'll need to uncover what's behind the return of this forgotten magic and who is seeking to harness it to destroy wizard kind." However, you can decide whether your character is male or female, what they look like, and ultimately, how they behave throughout the game.

After receiving a "late letter of acceptance" to Hogwarts, you'll enroll as a Fifth Year, bypassing the first four years (which may be the game's way of avoiding a system in which your character, along with all the others, would have to age throughout the course of the game). Nevertheless, once there, you can pick your own house. Then, the common rooms are yours to explore, where you can socialize with your peers and study for classes.

Speaking of classes, there are plenty. Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Herbology - you name it. Your education will play just as big a role in this game as the overarching story itself, which revolves around rumors of a mounting Goblin rebellion. And this is why you'll need to learn how to duel with your wand, and engage in complex combat systems, using an array of spells both familiar and new.

But it won't just be dueling that will come in useful - other spells will be available to you, you'll learn to grow magical plants, brew potions, and much more. Throughout your perilous journey, friends you make at Hogwarts will join you. The gameplay overview teases a number of interesting characters, each of whom will be fleshed out with their own unique backstory, as well as unique talents, such as being able to tame fantastic beasts.

As for exploring, Hogwarts is yours for the taking. As well as familiar locations such as the Great Hall, the Astronomy Tower, the Quidditch Pitch, and the Room of Requirement (which is integral to the game), you'll discover never-before-seen areas, such as where the House Elves work beneath the school, and other places that will have you solving puzzles and undertaking a number of side-quests.

Beyond the school, there's an even bigger world - the Forbidden Forest, Hogsmeade, and other locations up and down the country, which are peppered with all kinds of species of fantastic beasts, as well as witches and wizards who will give you the opportunity to undertake missions and quests. Meanwhile, real-time weather, climate, and the night-and-day system will bring the Wizarding World to life.

So it all sounds pretty magical - exploring the vast Wizarding World, attending classes, working on your education, brewing potions, relaxing in your common room, making friends, and interacting with other characters throughout the game, whether good or bad. It sounds like the perfect game for online multiplayer. Right? Well, unfortunately, the ability to play online with your friends isn't even hinted at in the 15-minute gameplay overview.

It's possible, of course, that this is something that will become available weeks or months after the game is released later this year, but unfortunately, as it stands, Hogwarts Legacy will not feature online multiplayer, which will come as a bit of a shock to many fans, especially given the interactive nature of the game. The open-world game will strictly be a single-player, role-playing game, which will feature a morality system.

Why the developers have decided not to feature online multiplayer is a bit of a mystery, as it's part of the package with most games nowadays. But perhaps the most likely reason is that it takes place in a school, whose students have the ability to master dangerous and dark spells. Naturally, having this also take place online would undoubtedly lead to controversy, even if there are plenty of limitations that could be implemented.

Or maybe we're reading too much into it. Does Hogwarts Legacy need to have online multiplayer? After all, we know it will sell like hotcakes upon its release, whether it features online multiplayer or not. Portkey Games has probably made a huge saving by not including it, as such a feature would require frequent updates and patches and new downloads. And if their vaults at Gringotts aren't full now, they will be come the end of the year.

And perhaps Hogwarts Legacy can stand on its own. Going by the official trailer and the 15-minute gameplay overview, this certainly looks like it will be the case.

Hogwarts Legacy will be released sometime during Q4, 2022.

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