‘Harry Potter’ MMO development was canceled because EA wasn’t sure if it’s sustainable

The “Harry Potter” novels became even more popular with the release of its first movie adaptation in 2001. It turns out, EA was also working on a video game based on the fantasy novel series. The project was, however, canceled because the publisher was reportedly uncertain if the game’s model could be sustained for several years.

The revelation comes after former EA product marketing director Kim Salzer was interviewed by streamer The Real Brandolorian. When asked what project she looked forward to the most but ultimately got canceled, Salzer said it was a massively multiplayer online game based on the “Harry Potter” series.

“We did all the research, we had the beta built out, it was a combination offline/online experience where we’d actually mail stuff to the kids, like prizes and ribbons and stuff like that,” Salzer said to describe the “Harry Potter” MMO that never made it into the wild. She added that after conducting thorough research for the game, she was “very confident” that it would be successful.

However, the “Harry Potter” project was later called off by EA, which Salzer noted was going through changes around the time the decision was made. But there may have been another reason the publisher did not push through with the MMO game. “They just didn’t know or believe enough that IP would have a shelf-life longer than a year or two,” Salzer added.

The popularity of the “Harry Potter” franchise has carried on over the years, even after the original seven-book and eight-movie series concluded in the early 2010s. But the IP is far from being over after it branched out to the new “Fantastic Beasts” series, which revolves around the adventures of Newt Scamander. But no one can know now whether or not EA’s scrapped MMO game would follow the same success.

On the bright side, video game fans can still expect an adaptation of the Wizarding World with the upcoming game open-world action RPG “Hogwarts Legacy.” The game is being developed by Avalanche Software, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

It was initially planned to launch this year, but the game has since been delayed to an unspecified date next year. Warner Bros. only confirmed that the “Harry Potter” RPG will arrive after “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,” which will premiere on April 8, 2022.

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