Summary
After an extremely successful first year, Warner Bros. has announced that players should expect some exciting things fromHogwarts Legacyin 2024. Not only will the game get some new content and features throughout the year, but the PlayStation-exclusive quest line will also finally be available to everyone. And its mass release will hopefully be a sign of things to come from the gaming industry.
Console-exclusive games have been a thing for a while, but along with that, studios have also decided to offer console-exclusive content. While players can buy games likeHogwarts Legacyon any platform they wish, they are not able to access the entire game unless they are on the right platform as a stipulation. Even though that exclusive quest line was not necessarily game-changing, locking it to only one console just felt wrong. Luckily, that will be rectified soon, and that should really mark the beginning of the end of the concept altogether.
Hogwarts Legacy Needs to Be the End of Console-Exclusive Content
The Need For Console Exclusive Content Has Seemingly Passed
There was a time when console-exclusive content was a fantastic way to drive players to certain platforms. There was only one place to experience Nintendo titles, players who wanted to venture intothe world ofSonic the Hedgehoghad to pick up a Sega device, anyone who wanted to dive intoHaloneeded to pick up an Xbox, and those who wanted to takeRatchet and Clankfor a spin could only do it on PlayStation. Nowadays, the concept of console-exclusive games still exists, but the idea seems to be on its way out.
As the biggest gaming platforms continue to grow closer with the likes of crossplay, the concept of console-exclusive games seems to be slowly vanishing. Now, players can access any brand-new Xbox game from their PC. Additionally, Sony has begun bringing its own first-party exclusives to PC, andtitles likeMLB The Showare available on every major platform. The only studio that has not begun exploring other markets is Nintendo, but that may change eventually.
While console-exclusive games seem to be slowly on their way out, console-exclusive content seems to still be pretty prevalent. Players may be able to experience games likeMarvel’s AvengersorHogwarts Legacyon any platform they want, but they will not get the full game unless they play on certain platforms. Spider-Man is only obtainable on the PlayStation version ofMarvel’s Avengers, the spooky shop questline inHogwarts Legacyis locked to PlayStation,Call of Duty: Modern Warfarehad an entire mode locked to one device, and evenLEGOgames have been guilty of this practice.
Locking portions of a multiplatform game behind what console players choose to buy it on just feels wrong. Players should not be penalized just because they want to play a game onan Xbox over a PlayStation, or vice versa. It would be one thing if it were just technical differences, as seen with certain AAA games that release on the Switch, but it is far more than that. And even though some of this content does eventually launch on other devices, the entire concept should really go away in 2024.
Hogwarts Legacyis just the latestin a long line of games that have adopted console-exclusive content. Luckily, the questline will finally be available on other devices a year after the game’s initial release. It is probably one of the best quests in the game, so it is great that everyone will be able to finally gain access to it. However, it should never have been locked behind the PlayStation to begin with, and hopefully, the gaming industry is realizing this.
Hogwarts Legacy
WHERE TO PLAY
Hogwarts Legacy is an immersive, open-world action RPG set in the world first introduced in the Harry Potter books. For the first time, experience Hogwarts in the 1800s. Your character is a student who holds the key to an ancient secret that threatens to tear the wizarding world apart. Now you can take control of the action and be at the center of your own adventure in the wizarding world. Your legacy is what you make of it.Explore an Open WorldThe wizarding world awaits you. Freely roam Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, the Forbidden Forest, and the surrounding Overland area.Be the Witch or Wizard You Want to beLearn spells, brew potions, grow plants, and tend to magical beasts along your journey. Get sorted into your house, forge relationships, and master skills to become the witch or wizard you want to be Experience a New Wizarding World AdventureExperience the wizarding world in an unexplored era to uncover a hidden truth from its past. Battle against trolls, Dark Wizards, goblins, and more as you face a dangerous villain threatening the fate of the wizarding world.
