The latest game based on the Harry Potter universe is already wowing fans of the franchise and has become a hit even with players who haven’t read the books or seen the films. If the game is going to survive the honeymoon period and become a regular stomping ground for gamers across the world, it is going to have to slay some of the biggest beasts in gaming.
Here are four horsemen that could signal the Hogwarts apocalypse. Some are available now, but crucially some are waiting to be released upon the world and are destined to syphon off some of the Harry Potter faithful.
Grand Theft Auto: Online
This behemoth is arguably the king of gaming. Whether players are online or off, consistent updates have kept them going back for more as the game approaches its 10th birthday. The base game Grand Theft Auto V was released in 2013. If Harry Potter is going to win this duel, developers of Avalanche Software are going to have to keep the game fresh with updates to challenge GTA.
Players of Grand Theft Auto: Online are a little spoilt. The game makes small updates easy, with new vehicles and mini-games released a few times a year. Committed gamers are given lots of new reasons to pick up the pad and jump into San Andreas regularly. One of the biggest updates in recent times was the addition of a casino in the game. This came with a fully functional casino for gamers to play in, a raft of new missions of new characters, and some excellent cars to win or buy.
The game even offers players free spins of its massive roulette wheel, where they can win XP, cash, or even a new car. Hogwarts Legacy needs to compete with this and online alternatives like real casinos. You can find some free spins at online casinos, too, with Jackpot Casino’s excellent guide to promotions. If Harry and his Hogwarts friends can slay the GTA demon, they still have some big-budget competition from online casinos, streaming media services, and social media sites to maintain their player attention.
Elder Scrolls Online
The success of this game has taken some publishers and gamers by surprise. Based in the Elder Scrolls universe, this game is different from its stable-mates by being a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG). The previous Elder Scrolls titles were all solitary affairs with no option to play split-screen or online.
When plans were announced for an MMORPG version of an Elder Scrolls game, most industry insiders and gamers did not think it would be much of a success. Solo games are popular with solo players, so how would a massively multiplayer version of these games appeal to its fanbase? These opinions were shattered by the runaway popularity of the game. Many of the people who downloaded the game in its early days had never played an Elder Scrolls game before and quickly became fans. Though the other games in the series are different, they saw a spike in new players too.
Though not entirely about magic and wizardry, this is a part of the game which helps it to be a big contender for Hogwarts Legacy. Getting players to put down the Elder Scrolls and pick up a wand at Hogwarts will be key to Legacy’s ongoing success. Being backed by one of the most successful series of novels and films will give the game an advantage, but old-school gaming success stories like Elder Scrolls are not going to go down without a fight. Expect a big add-on for this game soon to try and solidify its user base against the magic, brooms, and wands of the Harry Potter world.
Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth
A new challenger approaches. Hogwarts Legacy will top the gaming charts for a few months, but one of the biggest video games of all time is about to be refreshed and re-released this year. If there is one gaming franchise that can compete with the powerhouse that is Harry Potter, it is the Final Fantasy series. In particular, the seventh game in the RPG’s long and illustrious history.
When this game was originally released for the OG PlayStation in 1997, it became a huge success that its publishers, Square Enix and Sony themselves, were not fully prepared for. The Final Fantasy series had always been popular in Japan but had never quite cracked the western market. The stars aligned for the seventh game. This is one of those games that every player had a copy of. Even if they were more into racing or platform games, or sports titles, they still had Final Fantasy VII on their shelf.
Both legend and retrogaming memories are going to shoot the remake of this game to the top of the charts once again. Its release is only tentatively slated for winter 2023, but wherever Hogwarts Legacy is in the gaming charts, it can expect to drop down a peg or two when it hits the shelves and online stores. Publishers Square Enix have even hyped up the anticipation and the number of sales by telling gamers ahead of time that this version will have some new elements and a slightly altered storyline from the original.
Even the hardcore fans of Harry Potter and his pals will probably make a switch to Final Fantasy to at least take a look. If the game can hook them, its many hours of gameplay will leave Hogwarts Legacy gathering dust on their hard drives.
Witchbrook
This is a direct competitor to Hogwarts wizarding ways. Though still in development, many insiders predict a release this year so the publishers can hop on to the popularity of Hogwarts Legacy and draw some of its audience. This game is another witch and wizard-based role-playing game but does not come encumbered by all the Harry Potter lore and its fan’s expectations. Without having to satisfy an eager and vocal fanbase, this game can offer players a fun alternative with a unique playing experience.
Witchbrook already has an active social media following with both fans of the Harry Potter series and its detractors. This means the game will have a bigger audience than Hogwarts Legacy, and its developers are keen to capitalize on that. They have even given some of their coders and designers a financial incentive to get the game completed as soon as possible to get its release closer to the buzz generated by Hogwarts Legacy.
Early pictures and demos have got gamers very interested in this game. Living the life of a wizard and developing your skills is often an element of an RPG, but not its focus. This game will give players a chance to build a magician from the ground up and follow an interesting and intriguing story along the way. Keep your eyes out for this indie game’s imminent release.
There is no doubt that Hogwarts Legacy is a fantastic game that provides players with hours of engaging gameplay, but how long can it last? With some amazing existing titles and plenty of big games in the pipeline, Harry Potter and Hogwarts have their work cut out for them. The wizardsim’s popularity is guaranteed in the short term, but how long will it be until one of these games slither into the hearts and minds of its players? Only time will tell.
