The Harry Potter franchise has seen a long and magical journey in the gaming world—from EA’s nostalgic adaptations in the early 2000s to Avalanche Software’s critically acclaimed Hogwarts Legacy in 2023. But few fans know that Volition, the studio behind the Saints Row series, once tried to bring a Baldur’s Gate-inspired Harry Potter RPG to life—and there’s rare footage to prove it.
🧙♂️ A Forgotten Spell in Gaming History
Revealed by GamesRadar+, this ambitious project was unearthed during a special tour at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. Presented by Andrew Borman, the museum’s director of digital preservation, the never-before-seen footage showcased Harry and Hagrid exploring a rudimentary town, rendered in PS1-era visuals reminiscent of classic top-down RPGs.
While the environments were still rough and unfinished, the design clearly echoed the Baldur’s Gate formula: top-down exploration, stylized character models, and the kind of narrative-driven experience fans of both RPGs and the Wizarding World would have loved.
🕹️ Hogwarts Legacy and the Modern Era
In contrast, Hogwarts Legacy has been fulfilling fans’ dreams for over two years, allowing players to freely explore a living, breathing magical world set in the 1800s. And the magic isn’t stopping anytime soon—Hogwarts Legacy is coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5, 2025.
The game joins a spellbinding list of confirmed Nintendo Switch 2 titles, including Mario Kart World, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and The Duskbloods, a new IP by FromSoftware. With specs already confirmed for the Switch 2, fans can expect enhanced performance and visuals on Nintendo’s next-gen handheld console.
🔮 What Might Have Been
While Volition’s Harry Potter RPG never made it past early development, the concept reveals just how wide the scope for Wizarding World games once was. Fans might forever wonder what could have become of this tactical, party-based RPG adventure. But the resurfacing of this forgotten gem gives us one more magical “what if” in gaming history.
The existence of this cancelled Harry Potter RPG by Volition shows that the world of gaming is filled with untold stories and shelved treasures. While Hogwarts Legacy carries the torch today, this scrapped title reminds us that the magic of game development lies not only in what gets released—but in the dreams we never got to play.