At the start of this year, Hogwarts Legacy was delayed until next year. In an interview with Toy World magazine, as spotted by Reddit user SeerPumpkin, Warner Bros. general manager Rachel Wakley explains how Hogwarts Legacy is now scheduled to come out in late 2022 after the Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore movie in April.
Hogwarts Legacy was just one of a number of delays that started at the end of 2020. It was delayed until sometime in 2022 so they could create “the best possible experience for all of the Wizarding World and gaming fans”. On the contrary, the release date for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore was moved forward by three months, now scheduled to be released in theaters on April 15, 2022. According to Wakley, this will be the first of the two major releases to happen in 2022. Hogwarts Legacy will be the “second major release of 2022” and will seemingly not be released until at least late April, although likely later in the year. Wakley said about the game:
The reaction to the trailer for this has been amazing and it looks set to be a huge success. We know that gaming is such an important part of the market and one that we had to be involved in. From what we’ve seen, the launch will be well worth the wait and will deliver a unique way for fans to interact with the franchise.
Despite the success of the reveal trailer, the game has been surrounded by controversy even since its announcement. Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has been criticised for her remarks made about the transgender community, so much so publisher WB Games declared she was not directly involved with the game. The game will reportedly allow players to create transgender characters if they wish, although this has not been confirmed by the team. Developer Avalanche Software then lost lead developer Troy Leavitt after he resigned due to controversy over his private Youtube channel. On it there were videos that supported Gamergate and Pixar co-founder John Lasseter, who faced allegations of sexual misconduct with employees.
