TheHarry Potter video games are a series of video games based on theHarry Potter novel andfilm series originally created by English authorJ. K. Rowling. Many of theHarry Potter-inspired video games are tie-ins to the film adaptations of the same name. There are multiple distinct versions for individual games.
After the success of the initial games,Warner Bros. Games expanded the series to include a pair ofLego video games and created the labelPortkey Games. The games have sold over 90 million units, and grossed over $1.5 billion in video game sales[a] and an additional $1 billion in mobile game sales;[2] the main series received mixed reviews from critics, while the Lego games were both critically and commercially successful.Hogwarts Legacy, the latest release, has made $850 million in its first two weeks post-launch.[3]
During the release ofHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in 2002, developerEurocom was brought on board to create the sixth-generation console releases (GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox) as well as the Game Boy Advance and the Game Boy Color release. This version included new assets specifically for theChamber of Secrets and free-roam flying on a broomstick on the PlayStation 2 release, which was not possible on any other release. This version removed many of the puzzle sections found in the first game and replaced them with action sections andboss fights. The PC version, however, used many of the same assets as those inPhilosopher's Stone, and retained a more puzzle-oriented gameplay style.[12]
In theGoblet of Fire, players can play multiplayer, as all three protagonists.
In 2005, the PC compilationWorld of Harry Potter was released, containing the first three novel games and theQuiddich World Cup game.[15] FollowingPrisoner of Azkaban, EA, specificallyEA UK (which was later renamed asEA Bright Light), took charge of creating all versions of the game. The PC and Mac releases were developed as ports of the console release. InHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), the style from previous titles was reduced to a more linear, level-based system, as the character followed certain scenes from thefilm.Multiplayer components were factored into the game's release: up to three players from the same console.[16] This was also the first game in the series to be released onNintendo DS.[17]
During the development ofHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), the development team had more interaction with author J. K. Rowling when attempting to create playable card games for the series. The rules that were created were later revealed to be the official rules incanon.[18] This release was the first in the series to includemotion capture from actors in the film series, includingRupert Grint andEvanna Lynch.[18] The release removed the multiplayer component of the previous two games; Fred and George Weasley were still playable, but only in certain locations. The game made a return to thefree-roaming style of earlier games.[18]
In 2009,Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released after originally being planned for 2008. It was pushed back six months to be released with thefilm of the same name.[19] Like with the previous game, the multiplayer component was removed; Ron andGinny Weasley were still playable, but only in certain locations.[20] The final two games in the main series,Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) andPart 2 (2011), take place away from Hogwarts, and features locations such as theMinistry of Magic. These games use astealth and combat mechanic similar to those found in modernfirst-person shooters. Jonathan Bunney, head of Production at EA Bright Light, stated that the final two instalments would be "darker and more action-oriented game(s)."[21]
The first retail release of aHarry Potter game outside of the film adaptations was for theLego Creator, released in 2001 asLego Creator: Harry Potter and the sequel,[22]Creator: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, released in 2002.[23] Following the release ofChamber of Secrets, EA Games engaged game developer Magic Pockets, who created the Game Boy Advance version, to produce a video game based onQuidditch.[24]
Due to the release schedule of the filmHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, there was no main series release in 2003. Instead,Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup was released in its place. Previous games had featured Quidditch but only focused on Potter as the Seeker;Quidditch World Cup puts players in control of the team'sChasers and the rest of the team's players viamini-games.[25] The game featured both matches played atHogwarts, and matches played internationally.[25]
In 2017, two new themed character packs for aToys-to-life console video gameLego Dimensions were released. One contained Lego figurines of Harry,Voldemort, miniFord Anglia and miniHogwarts Express, while the other one contained figurines of Hermione and Buckbeak. At the same time,Portkey Games partnered withJam City to releaseHarry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery in March 2018 foriOS andAndroid.[31] The game was a spin off from the Harry Potter universe by setting the game before the book series, but still at Hogwarts. The game featured similar components to those of otherfreemium games, such as wait timers, andmicrotransactions.[32]
Following the release ofPokémon Go, in 2019Niantic announcedHarry Potter: Wizards Unite, a similar augmented reality game. The game allowed players to see the game world through a smartphone.[33]
On April 17, 2023, it was announced that a new game,Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, was in active development by Unbroken Studios. The game allows players to compete either in a single-player career mode, akin to a traditional sports game, or in multiplayer matches. A limited playtest was held in April of that year,[37] with a full release in September 2024. A Nintendo Switch version was released in November of that year.
Thecollectible card gameHarry Potter: Magic Awakened initially launched in China and Taiwan on September 9, 2021, followed by a worldwide launch on June 27, 2023.[38] The game's American, European, and Oceanian servers were shut down for undisclosed reasons in October 2024.[39]
In the novel video games, gameplay is featured aroundpuzzle solving with some action-oriented scenes. Releases in the series generally followed the plot of the associated novel. The protagonist learns spells or other techniques from classes within Hogwarts school, which are often used to solve the puzzles at hand. While some are similar to those used in other Harry Potter media (such as "Wingardium Leviosa", used for levitating objects), other spells are unique to the video games (such as "Flipendo", described as the "knockback jinx", an attacking spell, used to push objects, or "Spongify", to make an object turn into a bounce pad).[40]
Earlier games in the series contained "secrets" which were a countable list of hidden extras. The games contained "beans", based on "Bertie Botts every flavour beans", used as currency, and Famous Witch or Wizard cards, used as collectables.[41] However, in later games (specifically the final two entries), entries employ first person shooter and stealth sections.[42]
The Harry Potter video game series received mixed reviews from critics. Nintendo consoles (specifically theWii) scored higher marks than other console releases. According to media review siteMetacritic, the series received its best response for theChamber of Secrets game. Despite the game being created differently for different systems, the game was rated higher on consoles across the board against every other entry in the series.
The series was judged on its representation of the novel and film series.Detroit Free Press gave theGoblet of Fire GameCube version four out of four stars and said, "this is a masterful video game because it can be enjoyed on many levels. Younger players can simply explore this graphically richHarry Potter world and succeed. Older players will enjoy manipulating the magic by choosing spells and skills and casting magic together with friends."[106] However,The Sydney Morning Herald gave the game three out of five stars and stated that the series highlight "is a brief but thrilling broomstick chase against a fire-breathing dragon. An underwater interlude is less successful, although it provides variety."[107]Frank Provo ofGameSpot was very positive about thePrisoner of Azkaban GBA game's recreation of the novel; saying "The main thing to keep in mind is thatPrisoner of Azkaban on the GBA offers a fun way forHarry Potter fans to step into the shoes of their favorite wizard-in-training and experience firsthand everything that happened in the third instalment of the series."[14] Gerald Villoria ofGameSpot praised the developer's efforts, for thePlayStation version, in re-creating the Hogwarts Castle and different-looking characters but said that despite the graphics being like "extremely jagged polygons."[108]
Later entries in the series received increasingly lower scores on Metacritic, withDeathly Hallows – Part 1 being the worst rated. The magazineX-ONE (then known asX360) stated that there was "so much wrong with this game that we don't have space to list it all".[109] Kristine Steimer ofIGN scored the game a 2 out of 10, writing that the developers "failed to create anything worthy of the Harry Potter branding".[42]
Other games based around Harry Potter have been generally praised better than the novel adaptions, especially the Lego Harry Potter games.Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 specifically scored well: Metacritic scored the game at 79%, for its PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox release.[115] Greg Miller ofIGN praised the game for its "gorgeous environments, clever use of the famed spells, legitimate humor and adorable references"[132] and called it a "love letter to fans of the Boy Who Lived."[132] TheOfficial Nintendo Magazine gave the Wii and DS version 80%, saying that it was "one of the best Harry Potter games ever", however it lacked originality compared to previous Lego video games.[133]
Besides the LegoHarry Potter titles, two titles were released for the PlayStation 3, using augmented reality.Book of Potions andBook of Spells both built for the Wonderbook, received mixed reviews from critics. They criticized the game's short length, but commended use of the augmented reality within the games. Alex Simmons ofIGN commented thatBook of Spells was "shallow and rarely compelling", but called the technology behind it "fantastic".[134]Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, also released in 2018, received media backlash for its use of microtransactions, despite the game beingfree to play.David Jagnaeux fromIGN Africa reviewed the game, but called it "awful", and the "gratuitous" microtransactions "actively prevented" him from enjoying the game.[135]
In 2002,Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was nominated for threeD.I.C.E. Awards in the "Console Family", "Original Musical Composition" and "PC Family" categories.[136]Lego Harry Potter: Years 1–4 won theKotaku "best adapted game" award in 2010, withBrian Crecente proclaiming it to be the "Best Lego Game to Date."[137] The game was nominated for two awards in the7th British Academy Games Awards, in the "family" and "handheld" sections.[138] In addition, it was nominated for "Best Adapted Video Game" for theSpike Video Game Awards in 2010.[139] The musical score ofHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets byJeremy Soule received aBAFTA Award for Original Music in 2004.[140]
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince received a BAFTA nomination in 2010 forJames Hannigan's music score,[141] and won anInternational Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) Award for best video game score in 2009.[142]Book of Spells received a nomination for "game innovation" at theBAFTA Awards in 2013.[143] As of 2014, theHarry Potter video game series was stated to have sold $1.5 billion in sales.[144]
^The first console release ofHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was developed byArgonaut Games and released in 2001. An entirely new game was developed byWarthog Games and released in 2003.
^Known asHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for the North American release.
^40 million up to 2007,[56] 55.79 million since 2007.
^Sciences, Academy Of Interactive Arts & (25 April 2018)."D.I.C.E. Awards By Video Game Details".interactive.org.Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved25 April 2018.Console FamilyOriginal Musical CompositionPC Family
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