Former EA developer explains Why the Harry Potter MMO was canceled

Image Credit: Harry Potter MMO Rejection

A former EA developer reveals details about the Harry Potter MMO that was never released.

According to an ex-EA employee, a Harry Potter-themed MMO was canceled because executives didn't think the franchise would continue more than a year or two.

EA was working on a large-scale Harry Potter MMO at one point, however, the project was shelved during development. WB Games is planned to release Hogwarts Legacy in 2022, the first significant Harry Potter game in a long time, but far from the first. Many Harry Potter games were released during the Harry Potter craze. The series isn't as popular in 2021, but it's still a significant IP with a lot of fans who want to see more of it. Hogwarts Legacy will attempt to fill this hole, but in another reality, it's likely that a continuing Harry Potter MMO has already done so.

Why the Harry Potter MMO was canceled?

Ex-EA Director of Product Marketing Kim Salzer was questioned about any interesting but unmade projects by host Brandon Coates during an interview on Original Gamer Life. She revealed that she and her team had been working on a Harry Potter-themed MMO, had done much research, and had even produced a beta for the game, which would be a hybrid of online and offline gameplay. Despite Salzer's enthusiasm for the project, it was "killed" by EA management, according to Salzer.

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When questioned about aborted titles over her career, Kimberly Salze, a former director of product marketing at EA, mentioned the MMO. According to Salze, the MMO was well into development, or at least close enough to have a beta. Meanwhile, it was planned to connect the offline and online experiences and incorporate the real world by mailing awards and ribbons to players who won in-game.

Salzer explained that the company was "going through some changes" at the time and that he didn't think the Harry Potter IP would "last more than a year or two." Salzer didn't give a specific date for when this happened, but her LinkedIn profile shows she worked at EA between 2000 and 2003, which coincides with the release of the first two films in the trilogy. "The world needs to know what could have happened," said fellow interviewee Brandon Sivret, acknowledging what he believes was a major mistake.

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Even a decade after the debut of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the Harry Potter franchise continues to be extremely popular. More Harry Potter-related stuff is also on the way. The Secrets of Dumbledore, the third Fantastic Beasts film, will be released in 2022, while the upcoming HBO Max special Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts will reunite original cast members Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and others.

Those who were unhappy by the MMO's cancellation can look forward to Avalanche Software and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment's Hogwarts Legacy, which will be released in 2022. The trailer promises a spectacular open-world experience in which players may explore the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, take lessons, engage in duels, and fly on Hippogriffs. The game is set in the late 1800s, over a hundred years before the events of the Harry Potter books. Although the game's most recent trailer was released almost a year ago, an industry analyst predicts that another trailer for Hogwarts Legacy will be released soon.

Hogwarts Legacy is set to release in 2022 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.

Source: Youtube