Hogwarts Legacy’s TGA Snubs Likely Mark the Start of an Unfortunate Trend

Highlights

• Hogwarts Legacy received no nominations or recognition at The Game Awards, raising questions about its perception in the gaming industry.
• Despite its success in sales, Hogwarts Legacy’s place in the AAA space has been challenged due to its attachment to J.K. Rowling, leading to mixed critical reception.
• The absence of Hogwarts Legacy at The Game Awards could be indicative of a trend, potentially creating a divide among players who either enjoy or boycott the game series.

The Game Awards came and went last week, giving praise to a handful of projects released in 2023 that pushed the industry forward. From the Game of the Year nominees as well as a few glimpses into the future with Arkane’s Blade and Kojima’s OD announced, the evening was a celebration of the industry, yet Hogwarts Legacy was left without an impact on the show.

Hogwarts Legacy wasn’t nominated for any award in the lead-up to the big day, which called into question how it is perceived by players and industry people alike. The success of the Avalanche Software-developed game warrants more in the universe, but the snub this year could be a canary in the coal mine for the future.

Hogwarts Legacy’s Future Could be Bright

Though Hogwarts Legacy follows a long line of Harry Potter games, it’s by far the most creative and unique. It’s one of the first times that the license has been added to a gaming release rather than adapted, with a story that is set around 100 years before the events of the main series of books and films. It’s the best-selling game of the year, so a sequel seems like a formality, and could also serve as a good opportunity to iron out some of the issues that plagued the 2023 release.

The tale was somewhat unremarkable, and though it’s a landmark moment for Harry Potter in gaming, it doesn’t do anything to move the needle in the RPG space, instead opting to play it safe with some of its mechanics, narrative moments, and presentation quirks. Hogwarts Legacy is a valiant first effort and a great basis for improvement. In a year littered with exceptional experiences including Baldur’s Gate 3, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, however, there was little hope of it snatching the coveted Game of the Year accolade at the Game Awards.

Hogwarts Legacy was Nowhere to be Seen at The Game Awards

In fact, Hogwarts Legacy‘s place at the Geoff Keighley showcase was non-existent. It wasn’t even nominated for the fan-voted Player’s Choice award, which consisted of the aforementioned games as well as Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, Genshin Impact, and Spider-Man 2. For a title that has been dominant all year to be ignored by the show was strange and could be the start of a trend as Hogwarts Legacy lies on unstable ground.

The Game Awards Showed A Problem With Harry Potter Content

Hogwarts Legacy is a title that sold astronomically well and continues to shift units as players have largely enjoyed their stay at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the late 1800s. Critically, however, the game’s acclaim has been more mixed. Its place in the AAA space has been challenged by some as its attachment to J.K. Rowling has caused some to greet the experience with hesitation, and The Game Awards nominations have only gone on to fuel that feeling that it is being ostracized by association.

Hogwarts Legacy topped 15 million sales in May 2023, just three months after it launched in February. It has generated over $1 billion in revenue.

Some may argue that Hogwarts Legacy is simply not of a high enough quality to rival the likes of Baldur’s Gate 3 and Sea of Stars in the category of Best Role-Playing Game, nor the best action-adventure title, as that group was dominated by Tears of the Kingdom and Alan Wake 2. Its absence at the Game Awards could be a sign that it will happen again regardless of a potential sequel’s quality, and in doing so it could create an even bigger divide between players who are either enjoying or boycotting the budding Avalanche Software series.