Before the films, before Hogwarts’ legacy, there was a forgotten attempt to convert the magical world of Harry Potter into a role -playing game … and you had never heard of him
Harry Potter’s role -playing game that has never reached its hands
During a visit to Gamesradar+ al The strong national game museumIn Rochester (New York), a piece of history has been revealed that neither the most veteran in the world that the players knew: WillInitially, he was working on a Video game role based on the Harry Potter books. And the best (or worse): Nobody had ever seen him from the study … so far.
The director of the digital conservation of the museum, Andrew BormanIt was what revealed the discovery. As he said, the developers of will have read all the books available at that moment (remember that the saga was not yet complete) and have decided to create their own interpretation of the magical world, Even before the first film of 2001 was released.
This gave them total creative freedom: There were no actors, decorated or CGIs of Warner Bros. who share his vision. What they imagined was a purely literary hogwarts and a magical world, built by the narration of books. The chosen style was clear: an isometric role -playing game, very type Baldur’s Gate or the Evocator who developed themselves in 2000.
According to Borman, the project has never publicly announced, Not even as a voiceThis makes it an absolute rarity in the history of video games based on Harry Potter. The material shown by the museum includes a pre-alpha gameplay In which we see a young Harry has already moved an unfinished city, without many characters or interactions. The most remarkable: You could alternate the control between them. Little more, yes, but you have to put it in the context: We are talking about the graphics of the PS1 eraWhere this might seem magical.
A game lost in time
There is some confusion regarding the exact date of development, but It was certainly in the last years of the 90sBefore Electronic art will launch its adaptation of Harry Potter and the philosopher’s stone In 2001. EA took the rights and ended up launching more titles during the decade. Volition, on the other hand, He never had the opportunity to compete.
The reason why the project has never seen the light? Has not yet been confirmed, but everything indicates it The lack of official rights It was the great obstacle. Without the support of a license and without the attraction of the media of the films (which did not yet exist), it was difficult for such a project to come forward commercially.
In addition, the will at that time focused on other projects. Shortly thereafter, the study would be known for qualifications such as Red faction And later for Line of saintsThis would have catapulted them for the celebrity with their criminal and their chaotic approach. The role of Harry Potter, therefore, He remained in a trunk of oblivionA relic that we can only imagine today.
What could have been
Even if we have no videos available – for restrictions on the museum – the simple idea of An Harry Potter role -playing game in the 90s It is enough to make a dream of fans. Think: exploration, management of spells, moral decisions, potions lessons … all in an era in which the genre of role games lived a real creative explosion.
Many players fantasized on what a Harry Potter style Baldur’s GateWith branched narrative, complex systems and a freely explorable Hogwarts. If this project had been carried out, Perhaps he would have marked the path of the rest of the video games of the sagaInstead of the more linear and cinematographic approach that EA has adopted.
Who knows? Maybe if Warner Bros. had opted for that address, today we would have a saga of legendary role -playing games … instead of the nice but limited titles that we had in the 2000s.