Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions

Development

Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions was developed by Los Angeles-based Unbroken Studios and published by Warner Bros. Games under its Portkey Games label. Development began several years prior to 2023, and its creation was announced 20 years after the previous Quidditch-themed game Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup. The game has a distinct visual style from other Harry Potter games such as Hogwarts Legacy, aiming for a more stylized and cartoon-like appearance.

It is not a direct adaptation of the books or films, though Portkey developers strive to maintain authenticity of J. K. Rowling's original vision while introducing new elements; Rowling had no direct involvement. In May 2023, gameplay footage leaked on Reddit, and Warner Bros. removed leaked content from a recent playtest. Additional footage leaked in August 2023 showing characters like Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. A gameplay trailer was released on July 29, 2024.

In April 2023, Warner Bros. unveiled the first look and announced a limited playtest. Some fans criticized the announcement due to Quidditch's absence in Hogwarts Legacy. In June 2024, Unbroken announced a September release for Windows and home consoles. An expansion pack titled 'The Legacy Pack' will include exclusive content from Hogwarts Legacy.

Reception

Critics gave Quidditch Champions a mixed reception, with Metacritic calling it average and OpenCritic noting only 25% of reviewers recommended it. Players liked the absence of microtransactions, but many pointed out the game looked noticeably different from Hogwarts Legacy. IGN enjoyed the gameplay but wanted a story mode, while GameSpot praised the graphics and online play yet found it unoriginal compared to earlier Quidditch games. Though it was a major PS Plus title in 2024 and boosted September player numbers, its PlayStation Network audience shrank by nearly half in its second week.