Warning!
At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions. Spoilers will be present within the article. |
Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions is a sports video game developed by Unbroken Studios and released by Warner Bros. Games under their Portkey Games label. The game was released on 3 September 2024 with the Nintendo Switch version coming on 8 November 2024.[2][1] The game allows the player to design a character who may play on their Hogwarts House, school and national Quidditch teams.[3] It is the second video game to focus solely on the wizarding sport of Quidditch, the first being Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup.[1]
Setting[]
The game is set on the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch. Each team has fewer than 7 players, a contradiction to the lore canon expressly allowed by J. K. Rowling.[4] According to team lineups, the game is set before the 1993–1994 Inter-House Quidditch Cup, with only one sole Beater instead of two as in the books and films.
Characters[]
Numerous familiar characters make appearances, including the following:[5]
In addition, Ginny (Chaser), Ron (Keeper), Fred & George (Beater) and Harry (Seeker) give tutorials on their positions, while Ginny also narrates the game's opening and other cinematics.
Your created character is also a Chaser, which would be your favourite role by default, but you can switch to control other players.
Heroes[]
Players can also unlock and recruit many of the players listed above and more for their team as Heroes. If a Hero is toggled on to fill a team slot, then their costume cannot be changed (though some Heroes with different costumes are considered separate), but other aspects of them can be customised and they are not restricted to a specific or canon position. So far, characters from Hogwarts Legacy have also been available as Heroes.
Character | Costume/Designation | Method |
---|---|---|
Ginny Weasley | Casual Outfit | Default (after completing Burrow Cup) |
Gryffindor Chaser | Heroes of Hogwarts event / The Vault (Winged Keys) | |
Hermione Granger | Burrow Champion | The Vault (Coins) |
Fred Weasley | ||
George Weasley | ||
Harry Potter | Gryffindor Seeker | Reach Fame Level 40 |
Ron Weasley | Gryffindor Keeper Tryouts | Reach Level 50 in Season 0 (Quidditch Tryouts) |
Cho Chang | Ravenclaw Seeker | Heroes of Hogwarts event / The Vault (Winged Keys) |
Cedric Diggory | Hufflepuff Seeker | |
Draco Malfoy | Slytherin Seeker | |
Rolanda Hooch | Hogwarts Quidditch Referee | Complete all Mastery Challenges |
Sebastian Sallow | Slytherin Student | Hogwarts Legacy purchase Verified via linking WB Games and Wizarding World accounts |
Natsai Onai | Gryffindor Student | Legacy Heroes event |
Amit Thakkar | Ravenclaw Student | |
Poppy Sweeting | Hufflepuff Student | |
Ominis Gaunt | Slytherin Student |
Gameplay[]
Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions is an online multiplayer game where players can team up with friends or play with others through matchmaking, suggesting that it will have a lobby system. There is also a single-player mode. The player can shift control between their team's players. If a player is hit by a Bludger enough times, they will become dizzy and may fall off the broom when the health bar depletes itself.[6]
The game does not feature microtransactions. It was initially reported that it would feature them sometime after launch, but this was later denied.[6]
Players can customise their character by selecting a House and changing their character's appearance.
The rules of Quidditch in this game are slightly different from those in the Harry Potter books and films, standardised by the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Most notably:
- The teams consist of 6 players instead of 7, with only one Beater on the team instead of 2.
- Catching the Golden Snitch does not end the game instantly and only yields 30 points, but doing so in overtime will end the game instantly.
- Teams play until time expires or until one team scores 100 points, whichever comes first. You can still win and score over 100 points if the game was at 80 points before the Seeker catches the Golden Snitch to end the game.
- If the scores are tied when time expires, then a golden score overtime begins – either the next goal (similar to a golden goal in football) or catching the Snitch wins.
- Keepers are not exempt from being targeted by Beaters unless the Quaffle is within the scoring area. Keepers, however, cannot be targeted or tackled by anyone when in possession of a Quaffle after a save.
- Stooging is allowed.
- Opponents cannot score if a Quaffle goes through as an own goal. Chasers can't actively aim for an own goal.
- They can back pass to the Keeper, and Keepers, in turn, can handle the Quaffle from a back pass.
- Nobody, including the Snitch, can fly outside the boundaries of the stadium.
- Unlike how it was depicted in the books and films (wherein the Seekers and the Snitch are in play immediately, before the Quaffle is tossed up to start the game), in this game, the Snitch is only in play some time after the game starts. Seekers, therefore, do not enter the arena until they have to locate and activate the Snitch. They leave the playing area again after the first Snitch is caught.
- Like how it was depicted in the books and films: Chasers cannot score by carrying the Quaffle all the way through the hoops.
Tournaments[]
Players begin at the Weasleys' Burrow Garden Cup next to their house, which serves as a tutorial. After that, players progress to the following tournaments, which can be played online or offline, unlocking in this order:[5]
- Hogwarts Inter-House Quidditch Cup featuring the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin House teams
- Format: Single round robin. House teams are then seeded into a single-elimination bracket based on total points.
- Triwizard Schools Quidditch Cup featuring school teams for each of the three Triwizard Tournament schools: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang
- Format: Double round robin home and away. The top two schools advance to a one-off final.
- Quidditch World Cup featuring 16 nations:
- Format: Four groups of four teams each. The top two teams advance to a single-elimination 8-team bracket.
Customisation[]
Players can also customise their team members and even play as familiar characters. Players also earn skill points to improve their play at each position and can equip and upgrade a variety of brooms.[5]
Venues[]
The following venues are available in-game:
- The Burrow, Ottery St Catchpole, Devon, England, UK
- Hogwarts Quidditch pitch, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland, UK
- Beauxbatons Quidditch pitch, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, France
- Durmstrang Quidditch pitch, Durmstrang Institute
- Ilvermorny Quidditch pitch, Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Mount Greylock, Massachusetts, USA
- Quidditch World Cup Stadium
Development[]
The game was announced in April 2023. Numerous beta tests were conducted over the summer of 2023.
Media gallery[]
Trailers[]
Trivia[]
- Most of the known wizarding schools have their home countries' national teams entered in the Quidditch World Cup – the United Kingdom (Hogwarts), France (Beauxbatons), the United States (Ilvermorny), Brazil (Castelobruxo), Japan (Mahoutokoro) and Uganda (Uagadou).
- The exceptions to this are Koldovstoretz, as Russia is not represented in the game, and Durmstrang, whose home country is not known.
- In addition, Sweden enters individually when there was a unified Nordic Team in Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup, while the United Kingdom enters a unified team instead of one or more national teams from the British Home Nations (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) as is the case in football.
- The British team is composed of players from the England side in Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup.
- While you can change the single-digit squad numbers or emblems on the uniform, they only show on the backs in the game, even on the trialists' uniforms. The default numbers for each position are slightly different in this game:
- Keeper is no. 1 (Ron was no. 2 as he borrowed Fred's old jersey)
- Beater is no. 2 (as there are two Beaters in the film, they would get 2 and 3).
- Chasers are 4, 5 and 6. The player wears no. 4 by default.
- Seeker is no. 7.
- Hermione's Burrow Champion outfit is her casual outfit from the climactic scenes of the Prisoner of Azkaban film.
- While most of the teams are based on the 1993–94 Hogwarts school year, Ginny starts at Chaser for Gryffindor ahead of Katie Bell.
Achievements/Trophies[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 News Release
- ↑ https://x.com/quidditchgame/status/1834577775640068221?s=46
- ↑ Calling all Beaters, Chasers, Keepers, and Seekers! Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions limited playtest signups are live now! Sign up at http://QuidditchChampions.WBGames.com. #QuidditchChampions
- ↑ Can Warner Bros. Uncancel J.K. Rowling?
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Official Launch Gameplay Walkthrough Trailer
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions FAQ
- ↑ Report on Maggie's Cancer Caring Centre reading
External links[]
J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Philosopher's Stone | book | film | games | film soundtrack | game soundtrack |
Chamber of Secrets | book | film | games | film soundtrack | game soundtrack |
Prisoner of Azkaban | book | film | games | film soundtrack | game soundtrack |
Goblet of Fire | book | film | games | film soundtrack | game soundtrack |
Order of the Phoenix | book | film | game | film soundtrack | game soundtrack |
Half-Blood Prince | book | film | games | film soundtrack | game soundtrack |
Deathly Hallows | book | film 1 | games 1 | film soundtrack 1 | game soundtrack 1 |
film 2 | games 2 | film soundtrack 2 | game soundtrack 2 | ||
Cursed Child | script | play | |||
Fantastic Beasts film series | |||||
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | book | screenplay | film | game | film soundtrack |
The Crimes of Grindelwald | screenplay | film | film soundtrack | ||
The Secrets of Dumbledore | screenplay | film | film soundtrack |