In a packed 2023,Hogwarts Legacyhas still managed to stand out as a huge, sprawling, and faithfulHarry Pottervideo game that meets the lofty expectations of fans. Discovering all the hidden gems inHogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and zipping around its surrounding areas on a broom is something that has been eagerly anticipated for what feels like decades, and developer Avalanche Software deserved credit for making something seemingly impossible work wonders.
Of course, there are some drawbacks that plague the game, even on the most powerful hardware. Some are design choices likethe repetitive Merlin Trialsor the half-baked story, but others are mechanical issues that don’t go unnoticed. Small waits between rooms as the environment loads is an annoyance, and some inconsistent performances on PC have blemished the otherwise great experience. It’s a worry, then, that the version reserved for the Switch has been delayed until November of this year. The little Nintendo machine is in its twilight years, and keeping up with something so ambitious that it caused problems for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X could be a sign of a not-so-bright future on the portable device.
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Hogwarts Legacy’s Switch Delay is Cause for Concern
A delay as significant asHogwarts Legacy’s on Switch is far from ideal. It’s not necessarily indicative of a bad product, but it does imply there are unforeseen issues that were unaccounted for, and that they require months to rectify. It is, at the very least, an error on the developer’s part that shows how far off the mark it actually was when the release window was set. The Switch version ofHogwarts Legacy, though initially planned to release after the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions, being pushed so far back is a disappointment to many, and an oversight on the part of Avalanche Software. LikeSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, a long delay is undoubtedly a bad sign, regardless of how potentially minor, and it should be taken as such.
There’s also the chance thatHogwarts Legacyreleasing once again but late in the year will give it a significantly smaller impact. Waiting a few months for theNintendo Switchversion didn’t feel like too long a wait for the added benefit of portability, but now that it will arrive almost an entire calendar year after the previous versions of the game, there is a likelihood that players won’t tolerate the time and instead just jump into the home consoles or PC ports to finally quench their thirst.
Hogwarts Legacy Struggles on Modern Hardware
Whilea Nintendo Switch version of the gamewill, all being well, launch this November, it’s easy to assume that it will be a far inferior way to play, even despite the lure of portability. The power of the handheld is simply not as high as its contemporaries, and as those platforms even struggled withHogwarts Legacy, boasting graphical issues and performance inconsistencies aplenty, it’s hard to believe that the transition to a weaker console will be seamless and without issue.
All of this is bad news for the Switch, and though it may be the talk of the industry today withThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the reality is that it could be a while before another much-loved 2023 open-world game justifies dusting off the device. It’s all theory until it actually launches on the Switch, but the situation isn’t looking good.
Hogwarts Legacyis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with a Switch version releasing November 14.
