After months of speculation, Hogwarts Legacy finally has a definitive release date of February 10, 2023. First announced during the September PlayStation 5 Showcase in 2020 with a vague 2021 release window, the game was later delayed to holiday 2022 and will now reach fans a couple of months after that.
The release date news was shared via the Hogwarts Legacy Twitter account on Friday. The team at Portkey Games has revealed that it will be taking “a little more time to deliver the best possible game experience” and that the Nintendo Switch version will arrive at an even later date.
Hogwarts Legacy will launch on February 10, 2023 for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. The Nintendo Switch launch date will be revealed soon. The team is excited for you to play, but we need a little more time to deliver the best possible game experience. pic.twitter.com/zh0EsOvDb7
— Hogwarts Legacy (@HogwartsLegacy) August 12, 2022
The delay of the game, which is set in and around the titular Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, isn’t entirely surprising, though. Fans have been anticipating it for some time now due to the lack of news leading up to its December release window.
Hogwarts Legacy is at the center of an ongoing controversy regarding Harry Potter creator J. K. Rowling, who has been repeatedly criticized by fans for making comments deemed as transphobic. Developer Avalanche has promised the author is “not directly involved in the creation of the game.” Despite the team’s best effort to distance itself from Rowling — and opting to include trans representation in the Hogwarts Legacy character creation process — some fans believe that the damage has already been done and have urged players to boycott the title.
It’s yet to be seen if Hogwarts Legacy is able to stick the landing despite being marred by Rowling’s controversies, but we’ll find out when it launches on February 10, 2023, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.