Is Hogwarts Legacy GOTY Material? Answered

Is Hogwarts Legacy Game of the Year Worthy? Hogwarts Legacy is a difficult game to write about, one which industry journalists have approached with different degrees of fervor and hesitancy. Who would have thought a decade ago a Harry Potter game would be the topic of so much controversy? Our own point of view at Gamer Journalist and mine as managing editor has been mostly to sidestep this, offering neutral unbiased guides on gameplay.

I approach you dear reader much like I do my own staff accepting that everyone is going to have their own opinions on the issue and everyone is going to disagree. But when considering Hogwarts Legacy’s GOTY chances, we must consider all aspects of the game. So let’s take a look.

Is Hogwarts Legacy GOTY Material? Answered

Hogwarts Legacy has been the perfect storm for many in the gaming industry. It’s the game that no one wants to talk about but everyone can’t stop talking about (even those who refused to review it). Overall, reviews have been extremely positive from a gameplay perspective with several outlets scoring the game’s gameplay high praise even as they throw up disclaimers to preserve their moral superiority.

As far as gameplay goes, Hogwarts Legacy certainly hits the mark for many. In a lot of ways, it’s the dream Harry Potter game that many had as children back before the fandom was fractured. You get to create your own character and journey in the most realistic creation of Hogwarts conceived so far. You’ll find many Reddit reviews and other testimonies of players saying it reunited their joy for gaming. Having played the game myself, there was a certain marvel at stumbling across Harry Potter’s future stomping grounds in a recreation that combines notable aspects from both the books and films.

Related: How to Find Celestial Wand Handle in Hogwarts Legacy

From a gameplay perspective, is it perfect? No, it still has its flaws with some immersion-breaking elements, but so far it’s the best thing, I’ve played this year. Admittedly, the year is still early. I believe Bully captured the school vibe better in 2006, but as an action RPG with the amount of content viewed through the nostalgia lens of Harry Potter, Hogwarts Legacy could have been a GOTY contender for sure.

Why Hogwarts Legacy Won’t Win GOTY

I believe that if the controversy around the game didn’t exist, that many of the outlets giving the game near marks would have given Hogwarts Legacy perfect scores. On one hand, the game has become a bit of a juggernaut and lived up to the hype, but on the other hand, the game’s controversy casts it under a much more critical lens.

For this reason, I don’t think the gaming media can afford to give Hogwarts Legacy the GOTY award. They can reap money off the game through guides and snarky opinion pieces of various sorts (much like this one) that generate revenue. But to give the game (with the surrounding controversy) the highest honor in gaming would cause too much backlash and cognitive dissonance within the larger industry. It would reignite the controversy.

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to have an opinion that pleases everyone. If you buy and enjoy the game you’re a bigot. If you boycott the game because you believe it promotes transphobia, you’re a keyboard warrior. If you review the game based on gameplay alone, you’re missing the bigger picture. If you focus on just the wider controversy, you’re dismissing an entire team of developers who worked on the game. It’s a mess, so much so that many are hesitant to dip a toe in these waters. Who wants to offer an opinion when your opinion is guaranteed to be shredded by someone online?

As a whole media sites will pass up Hogwarts Legacy for GOTY for this alone. Fortunately for the gaming media, they have both Tears of the Kingdom and Resident Evil 4 Remake for the covenant position. Both games should be critical darlings in their own rights. We’ll see what happens later this year.