A former EA employee made revelations about a failed Harry Potter game a few years ago.
While EA has been named the best Christmas editor, the company still has a few secrets to share. In an interview with streamer The Real Brandolorian, former EA employee Kim Salzer made some revelations about the company during his time there. Director of the marketing branch, he saw green ones, but especially unripe ones, some of which were torn from the tree before they even grew.
EA came ever so close to developing a Harry Potter MMO. But it wasn’t meant to be… #harrypotter #ea #mmo #videogame #hogwarts @OrigGamerLife pic.twitter.com/Dbux383HXY
– The Real Brandolorian (@ Brandolorian17) December 21, 2021
We’re talking about a game here Harry potter, which would certainly have caused a sensation if it had ever been able to see the light of day. This is an MMO, that is, an online multiplayer game such as World of warcraft. In the video reposted on Twitter, he explains:
” One of the most important games for me, because I have been personally involved in it and it is such a huge intellectual property that it has survived, is a massively multiplayer online game for Harry Potter. . We had done all the research, we had built the beta, it was a combined offline / online experience where we were mailing things to kids like prizes, ribbons, etc. “
A promising game which, on paper, had it all. At least that’s what we think about today, with our modern eyes. At the time, EA believed much less in the success of the franchise Harry potter, and therefore decided to nip the project in the bud in order to avoid a possible commercial disaster. What a mistake…
” It was a project that we had researched extensively, we were very confident about its success. But he was killed, for lack of a better term, because EA was changing at the time and they did not know or did not believe enough that this intellectual property would have a lifespan of more than a year. or two. “
Awaiting release date for Hogwarts Legacy
As we wait impatiently Hogwarts Legacy, the action-adventure game signed Portkey Games, it makes us think that the license Harry potter has never been as strong as it is now. A multiplayer game would have been more than welcome, even 20 years ago. In EA’s defense, it is true that at that time, the films were only in their infancy, so one could not predict such a global success.
In another time, Hogwarts Legacy still needs to find an official release date, although it has already opened its preorders.
