Following the Hogwarts Legacy gameplay reveal trailer during PlayStation’s State of Play broadcast, many were concerned the upcoming title could feature microtransactions out of the box. Just hours after, the developers have responded.
After months of patiently waiting for any new details on Hogwarts Legacy, WB Games Avalanche finally hosted a gameplay deep-dive in the latest State of Play event.
From an intricate character creator to sprawling open-world gameplay, there was plenty to take away from the lengthy reveal.
However, not everything on display led to a positive reaction.
One particular section showcased in-game timers, forcing players to wait for up to 25 minutes to engage with certain features, many grew concerned. Could this timer be impacted by microtransactions no different to how mobile titles often allow users to expedite such a process?
Just hours after the conversation exploded across social media, developers have already responded to clarify. Rest assured, Hogwarts Legacy won’t contain any microtransactions at launch.
Hogwarts Legacy sparks microtransaction concerns
In the latter half of the State of Play reveal, fans were shown the ‘Room of Requirement’ in Hogwarts Legacy. This particular spot on the map lets wizards build their own ‘stations’ for various potion-brewing and plant-growing activities.
During this part of the demonstration, a unique resource known as ‘Moonstone’ came into focus. This resource appears to be required for any new expansion in the room.
Furthermore, upon building out new spaces, various timers could also be spotted. These timers count down in real-world time until new items become available. Some were just a few minutes long while others went up to 25 minutes in total.
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Almost immediately, these gameplay features sparked some concern online.
“It makes me wonder whether this was originally intended to be a mobile and/or online RPG game,” players questioned.
“Taking 25 minutes of real-time to craft an item in a single-player RPG doesn’t sound right at all to me.”
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“That timer on brewing potions triggered microtransaction nightmares,” others said.
Will Hogwarts Legacy include microtransactions?
Recognizing the concern across social media, it was just a matter of hours before developers responded. Before the backlash got out of hand, Community Manager Chandler Wood confirmed microtransactions are not in effect.
“We’ve seen this question coming up and want to set the record straight,” he said. “There are no microtransactions in Hogwarts Legacy.”
We’ve seen this question coming up and want to set the record straight.
There are no microtransactions in Hogwarts Legacy.
— Chandler Wood (@FinchStrife) March 17, 2022
While there’s no guarantee this doesn’t change further down the line, at the very least it’s a guarantee that Hogwarts Legacy will not feature any form of microtransactions at launch.