The Harry Potter series holds a special place in the hearts of millions, including mines. This world has already been presented to us in a number of different ways, most of which are absolutely fantastic; seven books, eight movies, and even a couple of theme park attractions. But, the enchanting wizarding world has failed us in one way; we still don’t have a truly memorable video game from the franchise, but I think now is the perfect time for that to change.

Rocksteady’s recent release Batman: Arkham Knight has received widespread critical praise, as did their previous two Batman games. Not only were all these games very good, but they also managed to set a new standard for video games based off of licensed franchises. Now we see games like Shadow of Mordor also receive widespread critical praise despite the predisposition many gamers once felt towards licensed games not so long ago. Rocksteady showed developers that a license to a preexisting franchise doesn’t mean you have to make a game based off of a movie. In fact, you probably shouldn’t make a game based off of a movie at all, and now that that mark has already been set, the world waits to see what Rocksteady is going to do next.

Well, judging from what people are saying on forums and in other discussions, it seems like many people expect Rocksteady to continue by making another super hero game. Although this idea is completely possible, after three Batman games I wouldn’t doubt that they’re already tired of making superhero games. What then? What kind of franchise can they reinvigorate just like they did with Batman? What fan base would be head over heels for a great video game based off of their favorite fantasy world? Next I envision a Harry Potter book falling out of a Rocksteady employee’s bag onto the conference table, and then everybody knows what they have to do.

It doesn’t take much time to realize that with the brilliant minds at Rocksteady behind the project, this game has the potential to be phenomenal. Just imagine a game that perfectly translates the spell casting we see in the Harry Potter movies into video game form. Imagine the full potential of aerial combat on brooms and Thestrals, with wizards firing spells and curses left and right. And just imagine the ability to immerse yourself back into the fantastical world of Harry Potter, but this time, not for however long a movie or book tells you that you can, but for as long as you’d like to.

Now there’s the question of what the game would actually be, but the answer to that is pretty much anything. Rocksteady can follow the idea of a game like Arkham Asylum and make the story linear, or they can even try to make the world more open like in Arkham Knight. The problem with an open world Harry Potter game is just where would it take place considering wizarding communities are so spaced out? They could of course go the Arkham Knight route and devise an excuse to depopulate the area of Muggles, but would that method work again without feeling overused is the big question. Because of this, it would be much easier to give us a more linear story so that it makes sense with the world, but at the same time I just really want an open world Harry Potter game so I hope they’d be able to make that happen.

The combat of a Harry Potter game would arguably be the most important aspect of the game. First off, Rocksteady would need to of course limit the amount of spells a player would be able to use because it’s would just feel too cluttered if you could use every jinx, spell, and curse in the universe. This would unfortunately mean that more obscure curses and jinxes would have to be left out, no matter how much you may have liked them in the books or movies. How would a player be able to choose, cast, and block spells is the next question. Honestly, I’ve got nothing, and that’s why I’m not a game designer. But, I believe that if anybody can make it work, it’s Rocksteady. One solution that I can envision is that the player would be given some sort of weapon wheel but with spells so that they can cycle through and pick what spell they’d like to cast at any given time. This really is only one of many ways that combat could work of course. With Harry Potter, the possibilities really are endless.

Now, the story itself would need to be its own stand-alone story, just like how the Arkham games didn’t follow a set story path. The way I envision it is that the game would take place with Harry as an adult. This leaves pretty much everything open because there wouldn’t be anything stopping the developers from going wherever they want with the plot, which is what Rocksteady does best. In the books, Harry always did dream of becoming an auror, and this profession would translate well into a video game. I can already see it; the Ministry of Magic as home base, contracts for Harry to take out in between missions, and a main story that is sure to be creative while still staying true to the franchise, much the way the Batman games were. Old villains would have their chances to resurface as well as new ones, and as we’ve seen with the Arkham Knight, Rocksteady has the ability to create new characters within these established franchises and still make them feel genuine.

The best part of all this is that it isn’t that far-fetched. Rocksteady is a studio owned by Warner Brothers, and Warner Brothers also owns the film rights to the Harry Potter books. Although these may only be the film rights, I think many of us can agree they did a phenomenal job with those rights and therefore may be able to gain the rights to make a video game based off of the Harry Potter universe. The practicality of the situation makes the prospect of a Rocksteady Harry Potter game all the more tantalizing. This would really be a match made in heaven (a.k.a. really clean King’s Cross Station) and would be a dream come true for millions of Harry Potter fans around the world.

I remember that PS1 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone game being pretty good.

There's been some mediocre/alright Harry Potter games in the past, but they've all been based off of movies. Because they're based off of the movies the developers never had much creative freedom. Rocksteady would be able to have that creative freedom to make a truly spectacular stand alone game. I remember liking the Chamber of Secrets game on GameCube, but the actual game itself, not very memorable. :/

Needs a unique angle. Arkham Asylum wasn't just a Batman game, it was a Batman game set in a very specific locale.

I had an idea about a Harry Potter game where you played as an auror (for those not privy to the Harry Potter lingo, they're basically bounty hunters that hunt dark wizards. Something close to a Blade Runner but just evil dudes instead of robots) trying to capture or kill a series of wizards while also hiding yourself from non-magic folk. Now that the OP mentions it I think Rocksteady would be a great fit for something like that. I trust them to make an engaging combat system and construct beautiful and interesting worlds. It would also be a good opportunity to address the issue of their cities not being populated with normal people since having non magical people around could make for some good 'hiding in plain sight' stealth. The best part is that you could totally divorce it from Harry Potter, his pals, and Hogwarts and really flesh out a universe some many people love, myself included. I could see a game like that having a Shadow of Mordor effect on some people too, where they think the game is great regardless of the source material.

I don't think this'll ever happen, mind you. If there is ever another Harry Potter game it'll be another game with a weird looking virtual Rupert Grindt and shitty 'I kinda sound like Emma Watson but I'm totally not" voice acting. But hey a fan can dream of having a great game set in one of his favourite universes.

Oh, I'll dream of this until the day I die. Really, combat would be key. Rocksteady was able to make a combat system for the Arkham games that just worked. It was exactly like you would imagine Batman fighting like against a bunch of goons. That's why I would trust Rocksteady above all studios to take on this project. If they can make me feel like a wizard then my life would be made. I like your idea about just being an auror. Then the story would really be free to do whatever it wants. Even make it before the birth of Harry when it was really dark times. That has always been a pretty unexplored area in the books and the movies. Maybe even an Order of the Phoenix member trying to fight off dark wizards who have come to power along with Voldermort. Oh, the possibilities are just so endless I could just go on forever though. I hope one day we get something like this, it's just hard for me to realize it probably won't. JK Rowling is so particular with how her work is interpreted, but oh well. Thanks for the comment though!

Yeah, that's the problem with Harry Potter. There's a bunch of small locales scattered apart from each other. That's why a linear game might be easier for Rocksteady to develop because Muggles (non magical people) kind of throw off the whole magical vibe. :/ Thank you for your comment btw.

Since I assume that someone will eventually ask this...is Harry Potter still that hot with peeps? What with the last movie having come out in 2011 already, a logical business mind would think that it's better to focus on something that's more in the spotlight currently.

Having said that, I enjoyed the first five (I think) books a lot, never got around reading the last ones. First movies didn't do much either. Games...well, those provided some classic QLs at least!

I'd say they should at the very least fix Arkham Knight's PC version before anything else ;P

I too remember enjoying it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's actually awfully mediocre or something.

Sure, I would play any half decent Potter game. I guess WB would need to team up with EA for this to happen as I think they still have the license?

I think its insane how EA have done only one game since the last book and film were released and that it was the terrible Harry Potter Kinect. I hope WB (who I assume owns the license as they made the films) gets the license back sooner then later because EA seems to give 0 shits about it.

Also the Auror idea posted above is a neat way to go, keeping it tied to the Harry Potter universe yet expanding on it.

I mean a Harry Potter MMO could be awesome but it would maybe have worked 3-4 years ago, I don't know if I could take another WoW clone.

yeah, okay!

the persona team should do a harry potter game

Harry Potter: Azkaban Academy

This is a fairly good point but in the end, Harry Potter, at least for a lot of people, is something you remember fondly. The Lord of the Rings movies came out a long time ago, but Shadow of Mordor still did very well. The actual license doesn't need to be that current to succeed really. Even people not really into Harry Potter can look at a game in that world and still want to play just so that they can be a wizard. The concept alone can really resonate with people a lot I think.

P.S. The last two books are fantastic and the seventh one is my favorite of the series. I just finished rereading them all not so long ago. :)

I doubt EA has any plans to do anything with the license going forward. They want to be able to release games annually, and considering no more movies are coming out, I don't think they'd have much of a problem giving it away. They never really did anything great with the license in the first place.

The auror idea really would be great. Also that would mean that JK might be more relaxed in letting Rocksteady do what they want with the story because it wouldn't be about Harry himself. As long as they don't try doing something that goes against anything previously set by the books/movies she would be fine with it.

There's a place for MMOs, and a Harry Potter one might be cool, but personally I would much rather a single player experience. Much more personal that way.

Harry Potter is lame. Really hoping Rocksteady does something new. Something original. But if they're going to stick with licensed stuff... I don't think the pot-man is it.

For some reason I'm imagining Harry Potter crouched on a gargoyle while a bunch of Slytherins below yell "We're going to find you POTTER". And then you jump down and cast stupefy.

This is a stupid and brilliant suggestion.

Voldermort will install a bunch of LCD screens all over Hogwarts and constantly broadcast his hate for harry potter.

A friend and I actually discussed this a couple weeks ago. We were wondering what Rocksteady should move onto after Arkham Knight, and what other properties Warner owns (is Rocksteady even owned by Warner? whatever) and Harry Potter was the first thing that came up. Those movies only got good, serious and interesting when it got dark - the last 3 movies. A darker series that follows the criminal underground and aurors of that world would be super fucking sweet.

They're called Rocksteady, let them make a really good Ninja Turtles game.

I want them to go back into that 3D Metroidvania-style game that Arkham Asylum was. You make your way through a busted-up Hogwarts at war during the end of Deathly Hallows, while getting new spells to progress through other portions of the castle. Rocksteady makes a new character for the player to control as, and bases a new story that's happening that night while Harry is rushing to finish off Voldemort. Similar to the Arkham games, you meet other characters from the universe who get their own Bio page in the menu after you meet them, which gives you a brief description on them if the player is unfamiliar with them. Certain parts of the game will have Occlumency segments, which will be the equivalent to the Scarecrow sections from Asylum. Side missions include rescuing House Elves from generic Death Eaters, solving random shenanigans from Peeves around the castle, restoring all the lost Portraits from the Grand Staircase, recruiting random students to join the ongoing fight, and getting memories from people to use in the Pensive (which would play similar to the investigation segments from Origins and Knight). Once you finish the main story you learn to Apparate, which allows you to teleport around the ruins of Hogwarts to get all extras you missed the first time around...

This, but with bright pastel colors instead gray grit that coats the Arkham games.

This could work, but I think I'd rather see a new story. If they would do something like this, well, we would already know the ending. But, with an entirely new story based in a time and place not in the books or movies, the studio would have free reign to do whatever they want. But, the idea of meeting old characters is really awesome. It would be awesome to team up with side characters like Luna and Neville throughout the story. Right now, if they would do this at all, I see them doing a story with an adult Harry or with a completely new character (like an auror or Order of the Phoenix member) and their adventure. Those are some pretty cool suggestions though. It really would be awesome to play through the battle at Hogwarts.

My dream studio for a good TMNT game is Platinum Games. As long as they put out a dud like that Legend of Korra game, they could really nail the whole aesthetic of TMNT. They really are good at over the top action, which I think would be more fitting for the Turtles. Rocksteady does gritty well, but I don't think gritty is the way to go with this franchise.

Disagree, I would love if it was in Madworld-style black and white (with screentones) like the original comics. But if they didn't want to do that, yes, just make it like the 80s tv series, goofiness and all.

I know that a lot of older people like it but the core target audience for any Harry Potter material is made of up of children. And children do not give a fuck about Harry Potter anymore.

That's awesome that other people are thinking along these lines too. Rocksteady is owned by Warner Bros by the way, but Warner Bros only owns the film rights to Harry Potter, but I think they could get the video game rights to the franchise if they tried. But yeah, Rocksteady does dark atmospheres so well, and the world of Harry Potter gets really dark in some places. Now I'm starting to like the idea of the game taking place during Voldermort's first rise to power, before the birth of Harry. That time was never really talked about enough in the books/movies, so it would really give the developers free reign to do whatever they want. I would trust Rocksteady above all studios to somehow make it work. Thanks for the comment.

It's not necessarily the actual Harry Potter name that would sell the game, it would be the idea of the game. Shadow of Mordor didn't sell because it was a Lord of the Rings game, it sold because it was a good game with new, interesting mechanics and ideas. What it gained from the license in the end wasn't really the recognition, it was that the Lord of the Rings world is just cool and interesting, just as the Harry Potter world is.

I think The Dresden Files would be way more up their alley, content and audience-wise.

Please no.. I just want Harry Potter to fade into the past.

@believer258 said:

I...remember differently.

I would be all for a HP game exploring a different story in that universe. Playing a game set in the original Order of the Phoenix period where you're part of the original resistance against Voldemort might be cool, or even a game where you play parts of Voldemort's rise to power (knowing Rocksteady, that would be a DLC). Or if they're really brave and have a ton of help from Rowling, a game set in Beauxbatons or Durmstrang.

The thing about Harry Potter is that it sucks. So no.

In what way does it suck? It's a huge series for a reason. It's incredibly well written and I would argue a lot cooler than Batman of all things.

This is a cool idea that I would like to see. I think they also would be able to make a great Battle Royale game based off of the book.

I remember Quidditch World Cup being a ton of fun

What are you on?

Harry Potter was great as Juvenile Fiction but when you analyze it with an adult mind it falls apart. Warner Bros. has the licence so why not? Personally I like the idea that Rocksteady wants to try the impossible and make a good Superman game.

@bartok: Well, I just finished rereading all of the books about a month ago, and at least to me, they still are amazing. If anything, now reading them again I gained a better appreciation for them. It really does build an entire alternate universe in such a fleshed out way, better than a lot of other well known fantasy series like Narnia for example. This has always been a genre that I've loved, so maybe I'm just being a little biased, but I really do think the series will withstand the test of time in the genre and continue to be appreciated alongside another fantasy work like the Lord of the Rings. Again, I might just be biased but I'd still love to see this happen. I would pick up a Superman game by Rocksteady too if they made one and it looked good, that would be one hell of a challenge for them.

@mikelitoriz: :/ That's your opinion and I respect that. Not everything is going to appeal to everybody, but please do understand that to the millions of fans of the series, Harry Potter is amazing, and there might just be a reason for that. A game in the series might not appeal to you now, but who knows, maybe it could do enough new things that might still stand out.

im a big fan of this classic harry potter game

Or you could explain your reasoning that jumping to the conclusion that I am on drugs.

Because you compare one of the most compelling fictional character ever created to a boy waving his wand.

@mikelitoriz: a man dressed as a bat that can't get over his dead parents. See I can reduce something to make it sound stupid too and before you get on me, no I'm not even a Potter fan.

@mikelitoriz: "Most compelling fictional character ever created"? What are YOU on?!

I freaking love the Batman character, and I think he's without a doubt one of the best fictional characters ever created. There are so many reasons for this. Just his origin story is so god damned beautifully tragic. And the fact that he doesn't really have a alter ego. He's never anything other than the Batman. Bruce Wayne is just a tool in the arsenal. That's tragic and great all at the same time.

Batman is basically a manifestation of trauma, a child’s terrified response to the murder of his parents. Technically, you could say that Bruce Wayne is well on the road to an anti-social behavioural disorder – with his frequent flights of violence and inability to conform to social norms – and yet this darkness is offset beautifully by his compassion toward life, and empathy toward Gotham’s citizens. Whatever side he's on, you can be certain it’s the winning team. The on-going story constantly explores how close he skirts to the line between hero and villain, and how dangerous he would be to Gotham and even the Earth if he ever crossed it.

Anyway. I said one of the most compelling fictional characters. If you disagree, mention a handful of characters you find compelling.

I wasn't reducing Harry Potter in any way. That's what it's all about. And children eating packaged ear dirt.

@mikelitoriz: I'm sorry, I would just like to check whether or not you are asking me to name characters more compelling than Batman from ALL fiction. If that is indeed what you are asking, I won't dignify it with a response.

Nope nope nope times a million. What Rocksteady needs to do is make a game that is tied to a property (unless they actually bother to do something original) that allows them to go full on with the violence. If Shadow of Mordor taught me anything Batman combat + much more violence = something we desperately need more of.

I don't care what it is, what the setting is, so long as it has murder and lots of it. But ideally I think I would love to see them do something set in the Warhammer 40k universe. What I would give for a spiritual successor to Space Marine.

@oscar__explosion: @mikelitoriz: @shortbreadtom: I think we might be forgetting that these are opinions and that different people have different ones. Just because one person likes Harry Potter more than Batman and visa versa, doesn't mean they are "on something". Nobody's opinion on the matter is wrong in any way so let's please stop arguing about it and just accept each other's different views. Thanks! :)