Hogwarts Legacy Map Proves The Game Is Absolutely Massive
We hope there's plenty of petrol in your Ford Anglia 105E Deluxe because it sounds like Hogwarts Legacy is going to be a whopper of a game. After what seems like an eternity of delays, we're finally ready to hop on our broomsticks, as Avalanche Software's outing hopefully soars to the top of the gaming charts.
While we always knew the long-awaited open-world Harry Potter game was supposed to be massive, encompassing the wider Wizarding World looks like it's been a top priority. From the Forbidden Forest to Hogsmeade and beyond, you better have packed your Marauder's Map.
How Big Is The Hogwarts Legacy Map?
Back in March, Avalanche gave us a behind-the-scenes look at Hogwarts Legacy. It followed a major period of radio silence, meaning some of us were worried it wasn't going to make its promised 2022 release date. However, alongside a massive Sony State of Play dedicated to this magical adventure, we had further details from the developer.
Despite a beefy gameplay reveal, a lot of the action flipped between the grounds of Hogwarts to vague regions of sprawling fields or windy cliffs. Although there's no official word on how big the game will be, eagle-eyed fans spotted a blink-and-you'll-miss-it look at the map... or at least some of it.
The map showcases a rural backdrop of mountains and lakes, but given that urban areas like Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley are MIA, it seems like this is only a snapshot of exactly how big the game will be. Key locations are numbered and look to be little more than camps, meaning we can't even see the main Hogwarts grounds in the asset. It's here that you start to understand just how big Hogwarts Legacy will be.
Hogwarts Legacy Is Embracing The Open Of Open-World
Click to enlargeDiscussing the importance of Hogwarts Legacy's size, Game Director Alan Tew explained, "When it comes to the open world, we just knew it wasn't going to be enough to stare out the window of Hogwarts and wonder what's out there." Open-world games are the norm these days, and they just seem to be getting bigger. Following The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in 2017, we had God of War in 2018, and the likes of Elden Ring since.
Taking this on board, Tew continued: "The final question that fans ask is: 'What's beyond that? What's going to be beyond the Forbidden Forest? Beyond Hogsmede? What's past the Black Lake if I start travelling south?' And we just felt like we had to answer those questions." Even though we doubt the Hogwarts Legacy map will be able to match the Lands Between in terms of scale, it's clear us mere muggles will be doing more than just exploring the Chamber of Secrets when Avalanche finally lifts the Invisibility Cloak.
