The Switch version release date has been announced as well.
The official Hogwarts Legacy Twitter account has just announced that the game has been delayed for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One owners. Though still confirmed to be launching on February 10, 2023, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and PC users, the last-gen versions of the game will now release on April 4, 2023.
This is undoubtedly a heavy blow for the Harry Potter fans who’ve been unable to acquire a current-gen console and were hoping to play Hogwarts Legacy as soon as it released. There may even be further consternation for those who pre-purchased the game’s Deluxe Edition. This edition will give buyers 3-days early access to the game, so if someone pre-ordered it for a last-gen console, this bonus has been essentially nullified.
The Hogwarts Legacy FAQs page says as much, confirming that the 3-day early access bonus will not apply for the last-gen April release date, this “to get everyone in the game as early as possible.” Fans should have little to worry about with the game’s current-gen versions, at least. Developer Avalanche WB made an effort to remove as much doubt as possible about a potential delay, confirming that the game has gone gold on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
The announcement also included the confirmation of Hogwarts Legacy’s Nintendo Switch release date. This version is set to launch even later in the year, on July 25. It’s clear that Avalanche WB is having more trouble getting the title to function well on weaker hardware, and wanted to take extra time to make sure these versions are in an acceptable state when they release.
Cyberpunk 2077 notably released its game the same day on all platforms and received a ton of backlash for it. The game had bug issues in general, but it was most egregious on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. For now, we can only hope that the Hogwarts Legacy developers are able to fine-tune the game and get these last-gen versions running in a stable enough state, so that players can enjoy them without issue.
