Most of the Hogwarts Legacy Collector's Edition's $300 price tag is tied up in an electromagnetic floating wand

As reported by our friends at GamesRadar, On August 24, Avalanche Software revealed the very pricey $300 collector's edition version of Hogwarts Legacy.

Videogame limited editions can be hit or miss. After all, what if you just committed to a triple digit price tag "le epic nerd" swag box for a real 5/10 experience (or 50%, going by the best videogame review system on the planet?)

What if, bear with me, you get the limited edition of Dragon Age Inquisition on pre order as a birthday present in 2014 and it winds up being a fairly satisfying 7/10 (87%), but comes with a couple plastic pieces of crap and a "cloth map" that's just the same dot jpg of Thedas that's been up on the Dragon Age wiki since 2009, printed on the cheapest polyester imaginable?

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Hypotheticals aside, the quality of the goods themselves doesn't seem to be at issue with the Boy Who Lived Supderdeluxe Edition of Legacy, at least. Its centerpiece is a giant cast of a wizardly tome with a map of Hogwarts printed on its open pages. It can be plugged in and powered on, activating the electromagnets under its pages and allowing the included magic wand collectible to float above—pretty neat!

That's kind of it though. The Every Flavored Bean Edition also boasts an exclusive outfit and all the digital goods of the lower-tier Deluxe edition. Players also receive a steelbook case which, for those of us on PC, will only hold a download code⁠—another symptom of our cursed modernity. Collector's edition owners will also be able to access Hogwarts Legacy three days earlier than other players.

I can't help but compare this to the offerings of Limited Run Games and iam8bit, purveyors of fine collector's editions of indie and classic games. I recently snagged the Limited Run release of KOTOR 2, an old favorite, for around $200 after tax and shipping. It's an old game and none of its included bits and boobahs have the wow factor of Legacy's levitation rig, but its wider spread of collectibles and included art book speak to me more than Legacy's single showstopper.

I'd be remiss if I didn't also mention Harry Potter creator JK Rowling's extensive anti-trans rhetoric and political activity. Avalanche and Warner Bros have tried to distance themselves from Rowling's politics, asserting that she had no creative input on the game and including a "trans-inclusive" character creation system. Let they who have never once purchased a spicy chicken biscuit from Chick-fil-A cast the first stone when it comes to "ethical consumption,"⁠ but Warner Bros declined to comment to Kotaku on whether or not Rowling would receive royalties on the game. Given her creation and ownership of the setting, her social and financial gain seems secure.

Ted has been thinking about PC games and bothering anyone who would listen with his thoughts on them ever since he booted up his sister's copy of Neverwinter Nights on the family computer. He is obsessed with all things CRPG and CRPG-adjacent, but has also covered esports, modding, and rare game collecting. When he's not playing or writing about games, you can find Ted lifting weights on his back porch.