WB Games announces Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions

WB Games and developer Unbroken Studios have announced the upcoming release of a new video game centered around the beloved sport of Quidditch, featured in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The game, entitled Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, promises to be a fast-paced and competitive multiplayer experience, available on both consoles and PC.

This release aims to fill a gap in the franchise's most recent game, Hogwarts Legacy, which did not include a playable version of Quidditch. Quidditch Champions is described in the game's FAQ as a “a complete, standalone Quidditch experience” that “engages players in the sport of Quidditch and other broomstick adventures alongside friends in a competitive multiplayer setting.” As with Hogwarts Legacy, players will be able to create their own characters to participate in the game.

According to WB Games, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions has been in development for several years by Unbroken Studios, located in Los Angeles. This studio has previously developed the post-apocalyptic battle royale game Fractured Lands, and is currently working with Rocksteady Studios on the highly-anticipated title Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.

How to join the playtest?

The official Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions website is now accepting sign-ups for playtesting the game, although no official release date has been announced at this time.

WB Games has stated that their new Quidditch game remains faithful to J.K. Rowling's original vision for the franchise, but acknowledges that their projects were not directly written by the author and will not be direct adaptations of the books and films.

Following J.K. Rowling's controversial views on gender identity and transgender-inclusive laws and policies, some long-time Harry Potter fans have chosen to distance themselves from her and her work. This includes fans who play a real-life version of Quidditch, who have renamed their interpretation of the sport to Quadball. As a result, some fans have also boycotted the purchase and playing of Hogwarts Legacy.

Despite controversy surrounding J.K. Rowling, the most recent Harry Potter game, Hogwarts Legacy, surpassed expectations, selling over 12 million copies in the first two weeks of its release. This success has not deterred Warner Bros. from continuing to explore the Harry Potter universe, as they are currently working on a live-action adaptation of the entire seven-book series for HBO. Rowling will also be involved as an executive producer in this project.

While Quidditch has made appearances in previous Harry Potter video games, such as Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4, there has only been one other official game dedicated exclusively to the sport: Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup, which was released in 2003 for Game Boy Advance, GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. There was also an unofficial game called Broomstick League that drew inspiration from Quidditch, but it was removed from Steam in 2020.

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