The list of canceled Harry Potter games is surprisingly short. Despite its popularity, there really haven’t been that many video games set in the Wizarding World, which is probably baffling for many fans considering the overwhelmingly positive reception that Hogwarts Legacy is getting. Surely there have to be a few Harry Potter games that were canceled, right?
List of canceled Harry Potter games
The majority of canceled Harry Potter games are just ports. Here’s a list of those we found:
Nintendo 64:
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: Argonaut Games had plans to port the PS1 version to the N64 at one point.
PlayStation 2:
- Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4: Some sites report that this game was in development for PS2. However, I haven’t seen any substantial proof that was the case. It was released in 2010, which was four years into the lifespan of the PS3 and Xbox 360, but it’s possible that Warner Bros. wanted to tap into the large PS2 install base.
We also found a report on Unseen64 that Nintendo created two demos in the late 1990s in an attempt to convince J.K. Rowling to sell them the video game rights to Harry Potter. One of the games was a third-person adventure title, and the other was based around quidditch. However, Rowling ended up turning down Nintendo and sold the rights to Warner Bros.
The only original Harry Potter game we found that was canceled during development was an MMO from Electronic Arts. Kim Salzer, EA director of product marketing during 2000-03, revealed in a Twitch interview that the MMO had reached the point where a beta had been created and that it would have an offline component where they’d mail players prizes and ribbons as well. Salzer went on to say that EA killed the project because of internal restructuring. Apparently, execs were uncertain that the Harry Potter franchise had staying power and didn’t want to take the risk.
There hasn’t been a new Harry Potter game in almost ten years. After news about the upcoming Hogwarts Legacy went dark, fans thought Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment might have canceled it. However, its gameplay reveal in March 2022 was met with enthusiasm and the game seems on track to launch later this year.
