Electronic Arts once had the proprietary rights to make an MMO using the lore of Hogwarts Legacy. The excitement generated by this new Harry Potter game shows that there is still plenty of potential for an MMO set in the world of wizards, and with Hogwarts Legacy due to release during the 2022 holidays, it may well be that an MMO could follow sometime in the next years now that the license has ed through EA's hands.
Electronic Arts has become well known in recent years for putting an end to projects, up to and including canceling Amy Hennig's Star Wars game. This has often been a cause of consternation among disappointed fans, and no example may be more relevant now than the canceled Harry Potter MMO that's undoubtedly being looked at in a new light with the buzz around Hogwarts Legacy.
The Harry Potter franchise began with a novel in 1997, with the first movie slated for release just a couple of years later in 2001. EA became the license holder in 2000, producing a number of games for the franchise until it lost the license in 2011. The franchise has stood the test of time, but back in the early 2000s, EA seems to have been less sure about it, canceling plans for an MMO in 2002
Hogwarts Legacy Shows There's Still Demand For A Harry Potter MMO In 2022
In 2017, Warner Brothers created a new publishing label called Portkey Games, and this is the label under which 2022's Hogwarts Legacy will be released. The game is being developed by Avalanche Software, and despite the holiday 2022 release date, a recent leak suggests Hogwarts Legacy might release even sooner. Hogwarts Legacy will have an original story set in a time period that has not been explored in any Harry Potter media so far, and will be a single-player, open-world RPG that will allow the player to create their very own wizard and embark on their Hogwarts journey as a lately enrolled fifth-year student. For many, it's a dream come true in concept, even if it won't be quite the living, online school some might have hoped for since EA held the IP.
The closest thing to an open-world Potter title that has been released so far was the movie tie-in game for Order of the Phoenix, and even that isn't open-world in the truest sense of the term, and certainly didn't approach something like an MMO. Of course, neither will Hogwarts Legacy, which won't have multiplayer, but this fact only continues to leave an open spot for a Harry Potter multiplayer game like EA's canceled MMO project.
The success of Hogwarts Legacy will likely determine how much potential there is in a future MMO for those who are still waiting on the dream. EA may have wanted to hold off on a Harry Potter MMO when the franchise was in its infancy, but by 2011, the potential of such a project was likely a great deal more obvious. However, given that EA lost the license and had spent its time focusing almost solely on movie tie-ins, the company lost its shot at a much larger and more lucrative project. The IP has only grown through the intervening years, becoming a staple media franchise similar to Star Wars or Lord of the Rings. EA had a potential golden goose in its grasp but ultimately has allowed all the opportunity to turn over to Warner Brothers. While Hogwarts Legacy may not be the Harry Potter MMO some fans have dreamed of, the future is certainly bright for the franchise, and a multiplayer-focused Hogwarts adventure could well happen down the line.
