Update: the footage appears to have been taken down from YouTube after a copyright claim from Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment, so we've removed the original embed. As reported by Eurogamer, too, the game appears to have a title (or at least a working one), according to the BBC's Lizo Mzimba:
Am told this is from a yet to be announced RPG currently titled Harry Potter Magic Awakened, although other titles including Magic Forever are also in the mix. Other Potter games are also thought to be on the way @TomPhillipsEG @ComicBook #HarryPotterMagicAwakened #HarryPotter https://t.co/bgXliE0HmeOctober 2, 2018
Eurogamer also notes that its sources say the game is at least a year from release.
Original story follows:
Footage of what appears to be a new Harry Potter game has leaked online.
Posted on Youtube by the user “RastaPasta”, the footage—which is clearly recorded by a camera pointed at a monitor—shows off a third-person action and adventure game in a current-gen engine.
The minute-long video shows off a bunch of different game features, such as character creation that lets you play as either a witch or a wizard, several different environments including a wizarding village, a forest, and various areas of Hogwarts including the Great Hall.
We also see the player character using the Lumos spell to illuminate a darkened area, and battling a group of goblins using a bunch of different offensive spells. The video also demonstrates wizard-duelling, and using magic to repair a destroyed stone bridge.
The video description offers further details about the alleged game, which is apparently set in the 19th century Wizarding World (concurrent with the Fantastic Beasts film series).
“You are a newly arrived 5th year student to Hogwarts that demonstrates a latent gift for magic with a unique ability to track and identify remnants of a pottant [sic] ancient power,” the description explains. “Upon arrival, strange events begin to materialize In the Forbidden Forrest and trouble begins [to] brew within the castle walls. Together with Professor Elezar Fig, you embark on a journey through both familiar and never before seen locations”
Players will apparently be able to assume the role of “8 different wizarding types” and “Freely e[x]plore the Wizarding World for the first time.”
Of course, we’ve no idea whether this footage is real or an (extremely) well-produced fake. But rumours circulated on Resetera late last year that Warner Bros were recruiting to produce a new Harry Potter game.
Specifically, WB were looking to fill several jobs on behalf of Avalanche (the developer of Disney Infinity, not the Just Cause creator), one of which was a “Senior Writer for the Avalanche Story department,” who was “a talented storyteller with a deep understanding of British culture and grammatical presentation.” In addition, the job required “a deep understanding of gaming narrative and branching storytelling, particularly in the realm of RPGs.”
We’ve asked Warner Bros for comment. But fingers crossed that this footage is real. Even speaking as someone who isn’t a massive Harry Potter fan, this looks like darned good fun.
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