They say that money can’t buy happiness, but this common adage almost always ends with a question, “would you rather cry in a Ferrari or a bike?” The most obvious answer is the former. Although in Hogwarts Legacy’s case, we’d say that a more appropriate object of comparison is the Nimbus 2001 or the Firebolt or, if we’re being technical, it’s the Sky Scythe, all three of which were individually considered among the best and most expensive brooms at the time of their respective release.
Much has been said about Hogwarts Legacy’s lack of recognition at The Game Awards, currently set for December 7. To be honest, it isn’t all too surprising. But, the better question is, why does it matter?
While most studios would love to have an accolade (or two if not more), it’s easier to argue that what matters more is it made an impression among players and critics. Of course, the bottom line helps too. Based on those metrics, Hogwarts Legacy has been a massive success, certainly enough to get a sequel if not an entire franchise built on its shoulders.
The prevailing theory, especially among conspiracists, is that The Game Awards preferred to keep its distance from the game following J.K. Rowling’s transphobic stance. Somehow, it makes sense. Even the developers, Avalanche Software, tried its best to distance the game from the divisive comments of the Wizarding World progenitor, all the while trying to make it as inclusive as possible. However, if you sit on this thought, you’ll realize that the truth is far simpler. It just wasn’t good enough.
We’re not saying it’s a bad game, but with only so many categories and nominees, where would you slot in Hogwarts Legacy? Objectively, Hogwarts Legacy would easily be the worst-reviewed of the bunch if it was somehow nominated as a Game of the Year candidate. The closest would be Alan Wake 2, which has a Metacritic score of 88, 89, or 94, which is dependent on the platform. As cliche as it may sound, it would’ve stood a better chance any other year. The past two years, in particular, was ripe for the picking when it was originally scheduled to come out before multiple delays. Stray, A Plague Tale Requiem, and Resident Evil Village, were all nominated despite scoring lower on Metacritic.
Unless Rockstar Games somehow surprises us with a stealth drop of Grand Theft Auto VI in early December (we doubt it), Hogwarts Legacy will end the year as the best-selling game, pulling in well over a billion dollars in record time. It’s a distinction that the developers of other GOTY nominees and even winners would trade their souls for. But, as far as its sales pushing its chances for a GOTY award consideration? Not likely. Otherwise, the likes of Grand Theft Auto V and whatever new Call of Duty entry would end up getting nominated all the time. Alas, this hasn’t happened yet. Instead, we’re getting fairly accurate representation of the best games in each category across the board.
If you’re curious about other qualified categories, namely, Action-Adventure, Hogwarts Legacy’s chances aren’t better. It’s the same field as the GOTY nominees, except for Baldur’s Gate 3 (yey!) and Super Mario Bros. Wonder. The only outlier, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, is a much better experience despite having technical issues at launch.
TLDR; Hogwarts Legacy is better off using a Time-Turner so that it can launch in 2021 or 2022 for a chance at The Game Awards than chancing its luck against this year’s historically excellent competition.
Hogwarts Legacy most recently launched on the Nintendo Switch where it topped sales charts yet again. Due to its success, HBO has greenlit a TV show set in the same universe as the video game.
