Hogwarts Legacy Dev Sets Expectations for Free Summer Update

08.03.2024 - 17:01 / gamerant.com / Dominik Bo

An Avalanche Software representative labeled the upcoming free content update for Hogwarts Legacy as a small token of the developer's appreciation for its fans. The move was made in an apparent attempt to set player expectations surrounding the Hogwarts Legacy patch ahead of its planned summer 2024 debut.

Avalanche originally teased the upcoming Hogwarts Legacy update in late January. While the studio didn't say much about the content drop, the very promise of the RPG's first multi-platform update in nearly a year immediately gave rise to rampant player speculation. Some fans hence started debating about the possibility of the developer adding new missions and spells to the game, while others immediately began calling for everything from extra mounts and broomsticks to full-fledged feature additions like a photo mode, morality system, and the ability to change seasons.

Avalanche Community Manager Chandler Wood has now attempted to rein in some of those expectations. Taking to Twitter in early March, the studio official said that the developer is «thrilled» to see fans being as excited about the next Hogwarts Legacy update as they are. At the same time, Wood noted that the company's original promise of «additional updates and features for the game» was deliberately worded, labeling the upcoming patch as a «small way of [Avalanche] showing appreciation» to its fandom for helping the RPG reach the heights that it did.

The comment is a fairly strong indication that the free update won't arrive in the form of a humongous content drop that some fans have been hoping for. As to its exact contents, the only thing that's been confirmed so far is that the PlayStation-exclusive Hogwarts Legacy quests will finally reach other platforms come summer. Even those might not be released all at once, given Avalanche's previous mention of «updates,» plural.

Regardless, Wood's recent comments suggest fans should curb their expectations about Hogwarts Legacy's 2024 content roadmap. Some players appear to be fine with this turn of events, having taken to social media to opine how they'd much prefer Avalanche to focus on the already confirmed Hogwarts Legacy sequel instead of adding to the base game.

At the same time, some other fans appear to be concerned about how that project will turn out. Aside from the fact that the sequel will likely have to cater to a more demanding audience by virtue of not being the only open-world Harry Potter game in existence, it might also offer a radically different experience, not least because of Warner Bros. Discovery's recently communicated decision to double down on live-service games at the expense of AAA single-player projects such as Hogwarts Legacy.

Hogwarts Legacy is a game that allows