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A Brief History of Harry Potter (Movie Tie-in) Games

And their diminishing returns
by Joe Wilcock on March 18, 2022   

In light of Sony’s most recent State of Play, which spotlighted Avalanche Software’s Hogwarts Legacy, a brief history of Harry Potter games is necessary to understand the significance of the newest upcoming entry to the series. 

The Harry Potter movie franchise received a video game adaptation to coincide with each new release to varying degrees of success on a mostly diminishing return of quality. EA held the license from 2000-2011 and published a grand total of 9 Harry Potter games during this time, 8 mainline entries and a Quidditch World Cup spin-off released in 2003. The relationship between Warner Bros and EA started as a somewhat promising collaboration but quickly soured and despite 8 attempts, not a single game transcended the license. Thus, their legacy is that of a slew of cheap, cash-grabbing, movie license games that are worthless to anyone that isn't a die-hard Harry Potter fan.
 


Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself

Argonaut Games was tasked in 2001 to develop a game based upon one of the hottest and most popular children's books and eventual movies of its time; Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone. No easy feat for sure, but Argonaut were already well versed in adapting established licenses into video games and had a decent track record of developing charming action-adventure games, which had a particular emphasis on platforming. The Emperor's New Groove and The Croc series would serve as blueprints as to what was to come, and what came was surprisingly adequate. Now, as previously mentioned these games were all tethered to the movies, as opposed to the books, so creative freedom was limited but they managed to curate a fun experience that supplemented the film nicely. It didn't set the world alight, but it offered an authentic Hogwarts to explore and the avenues in which to conduct Wizarding shenanigans, which was good enough for gamers at the time. The game performed modestly critically, with Metacritic scoring the PC version 65/100 and IGN awarding the Playstation version an 8/10! I personally go back and play this game every few years or so on my Playstation One as I have a lot of nostalgia for it, and honestly, it's pretty good for what it is. But then again, I'm one of the few who loves Croc as well so I'm definitely in the minority.

After Argonaut Games' credible, if not flawed, first attempt EA Bright Light (Formally known as EA UK) took over the mantle and would go on to develop the next 8 entries. Much like their predecessors, EA Bright Light started very impressively with the release of Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, which is arguably, pound for pound, the best in the series. With the advantage of improved graphics, smoother maneuverability and more interesting spell casting the game was a genuinely good Harry Potter experience. This would eventually become the critical darling of the franchise, scoring (using PS2/PS3 scores for reference) 71/100 on Metacritic. 

Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban performed admirably as well, expanding on the foundations laid out by The Chamber of Secrets and iterating upon them smartly. Much like the first 2 I remember this one fondly, the ability to ride Hippogriffs blew my young mind at the time and although it's not too pretty on the eyes looking back, it was a fun experience at the time. The third entry received 70/100 but was every part just as good as The Chamber of Secrets.
 


Time will not slow down when something unpleasant lies ahead

Then, the series plateaued into mediocracy, coasting along without ever getting so significantly bad to warrant cause for concern. Only in retrospect do I realize that the Harry Potter franchise was the chocolate frog in a boiling pot, I wonder how many people even played the next 3 entries. Harry Potter The Goblet of Fire, The Order of The Phoenix and The Half Blooded Prince all scored 68/100, 67/100 and 66/100 respectively with the latter 2 making the jump onto the next generation of consoles. A slow but sure decline in quality, but the problem wasn't that the Harry Potter games, during this period, were particularly bad rather that they were the worst thing a game can be... average. A lack of innovation and effort meant that the series went stale and sales reflected this. Although there was always going to be a demand for Harry Potter games because of the massively successful movies, it would only be the core fanbase playing them at this point. Harry Potter and The Half Blooded Prince would become the last game in the mainline series to receive anywhere near a decent rating as the franchise nosedived from hereon out.
 


 

Dark times lie ahead of us and there will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right

The twilight of the series spawned 2 abysmal, sad excuses for a Harry Potter game. Riddled with ineptitude, awkward Kinect integration, and laughable dueling mechanics, the final 2 Deathly Hallows put the final nail in the coffin and sealed this series legacy. Functioning more as a Call of Duty knock off with wands, these 2 entries were such a far cry away from what had been developed before, it was baffling. The last whimper from a license that had seen its potential ultimately wasted and wither over a decade worth of lifeless cash-ins. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1 scored an embarrassing 38/100 from Metacritic and its successor, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2, scored 43/100. 

Apart from the mainline series, Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup was good enough to warrant 68/100 and both of the Harry Potter Lego Games performed the best out of any game ever released with the Harry Potter name on it. Years 1-4 received 80/100 and Years 5-7 received 76/100. 
 


Alas, considering the turbulence of the license, Harry Potter fans all around the world are hoping and praying that Hogwarts Legacy can break the mould and fulfill the potential that this franchise has flirted with for over a decade. Good luck Avalanche Software!

Check back with DailyGamer for more Hogwarts Legacy news.

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