If there’s one thing that captures the magic and wonder of the Wizarding World players will be exploring in AvalancheSoftware’s Hogwarts Legacy, it’s Quidditch – right? This fictional sport is something of an amalgamation of dodgeball, football, American football, and handball – all on flying broomsticks – and what’s not to love about that? Following Avalanche Software’s confirmation that broomstick flight would be a traversal mechanic in Hogwarts Legacy, there were some complaints when the studio also confirmed that Quidditch would not be available in-game – at launch, anyway. If you’re a fan of the sport though, new Hogwarts Legacy leaks suggest that you’ll still be able to adorn your witch or wizard with Quidditch gear in-game.
Shared on social media by leaker ‘Bigby‘, the unreleased Hogwarts Legacy art book clearly shows an image of an in-game inventory screen with a player (who’s wizard is named Gregory Smarmy) wearing a Ravenclaw Quidditch uniform.
Interestingly, it isn’t all one “costume” either, but rather made up of individual items of clothing – which would suggest players can mix and match things like Quidditch uniforms with their house robes or other clothing items.
As you can see for yourself below, the Quidditch uniform shown in the art book is comprised of gloves, and outfit (which shows a jersey and padded bottoms), and a “robe & cloak” (which shows Quidditch pads and a cape of sorts). Here, the outfit is finished with some headwear – however, we can imagine this slot could be left unfilled.
The leak itself also reveals that players will be able to equip facewear, like glasses and masks, alongside neckwear, like scarfs. It also doubles down on confirmation that flying broomstick traversal and the game’s flying mounts are seemingly two different features – and not traversal mechanics that replace one another.
Now, we know this isn’t exactly a replacement for Quidditch in-game, but it’s still exciting to see the possibility that the sport itself will be shown and represented in game with more than just a passing mention. In another tweet showcasing more of the art book, you can see an image of Madam Chiyo Kogawa – the flying coach players may find themselves interacting with in-game.
Interestingly, though, we might see more of Madam Kogawa in the future. Outside of his art book leaks, Bigby also shares screenshots from apparent Hogwarts Legacy leaker ‘Flitch‘ confiming that there was the initial intention to add Quidditch to the game “and support all 4 Quidditch positions”. While this was abandoned after a year, there’s nothing to say the team at Avalanche Software won’t turn their attention back to this feature in the future – just take all of this with a very large pinch of salt.
So, while your Patronus won’t be in Hogwarts Legacy, the uniform for your house’s Quidditch team very well could be. And, if you’re sitting there asking “will Hogwarts Legacy have Quidditch“, then we can only apologise. We know that isn’t exactly a straight swap, but it could be worse. The Hogwarts Legacy release date is fast-approaching and you can find out more about the Hogwarts Legacy voice actors cast right here while we wait.
Hogwarts Legacy has drawn considerable criticism during its development, largely due to the fact that the creator of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling, has made a number of transphobic remarks on social media in recent years.
While Avalanche has confirmed that J.K. Rowling is not “directly involved” in the development of Hogwarts Legacy, it is working with “her team” and Portkey Games, a Warner Bros. label dedicated to launching new experiences inspired by J.K. Rowling’s original stories. It is currently unclear whether she will earn any royalties from the game’s sale, but it is likely given it is based on her original body of work.
If you would like to learn more about transgender rights or lend your support, we’d encourage you to check out the National Center for Transgender Equality in the US and Mermaids in the UK.