Gameplay footage of Hogwarts Legacy on Nintendo Switch is finally in the wild as a result of one fan getting the game early.
Hogwarts Legacy hits Switch in just a few days on November 14 but publisher Warner Bros. Games and developer Avalanche Software, somewhat bizarrely, haven't shared a single glimpse of gameplay, even with it already being available on other platforms.
Reddit user Talhelfg revealed on November 7 they received a boxed copy of the game early, however, and posted a 38-second gameplay video to X/Twitter before swiftly taking both posts down. The internet being what it is means the video had already spread though, and X/Twitter user Jose Morales Ros reposted the leaked gameplay themselves, which can be seen below.
El vídeo ha desaparecido. Lo dejo por aquí. #HogwartsLegacy #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/LJDVzQgCt1
— Jose Morales Ros (@geekdegafas) November 7, 2023
The gameplay doesn't give too much away since it's so short, but does show the player character running around and casting spells without any hints at slowdown or other performance struggles.
Only six screenshots of Hogwarts Legacy on Switch had been shared previously, showing magic lessons in the classrooms of Hogwarts, seating by the Black Lake, and some of the game's baddies and monsters.
Hogwarts Legacy was announced for Switch way back in March 2022 but, while the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S versions of the game only suffered a short delay, the Switch version is almost a year late. Not launching alongside the more powerful consoles' versions, the Switch version was instead set for July 2023 before being delayed to the current November date.
Hogwarts Legacy easily became February's best-selling game, and beyond that the best-selling game of 2023 at the time. It had sold 15 million copies as of May, and amassed Warner Bros. Discovery an eye-watering $1 billion. Its success has been mixed with controversy due to its connection to creator J.K. Rowling, though, who has been outspoken in her anti-transgender views.
In our 9/10 review, IGN said: "In almost every way, Hogwarts Legacy is the Harry Potter RPG [we've] always wanted to play."
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.