Quidditch Champions is Taking a Page Out of the Rocket League Playbook

by

Quidditch Champions is Taking a Page Out of the Rocket League Playbook

Highlights

  • Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions is the first quidditch-focused game since 2003, offering fans a chance at World Cup glory.
  • Launching on PS Plus could boost Quidditch Champions into mainstream success, despite stiff competition from other free-to-play titles.
  • The $30 price tag and day-one release on PS Plus may make Quidditch Champions a breakout hit, following the success of Rocket League.

As a lifelong Harry Potter fan since I was old enough to read the books under my Hogwarts-approved invisibility cloak, I must say that the announcement of Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions left me absolutely spellbound! It’s been far too long since we’ve had a proper quidditch game, and this one seems poised to capture the magic (pun intended) of the series.

Upon the launch of Hogwarts Legacy around January 2023, many dedicated Harry Potter enthusiasts expressed dismay due to the absence of a quidditch mini-game within the action RPG. However, it was later revealed in April that this exclusion wasn’t haphazard; instead, Warner Brothers unveiled plans for a separate game centered around quidditch – a competitive multiplayer title titled Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions. Although the visual style of Hogwarts Legacy and this new game might differ, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions has garnered interest among fans due to its unique focus on quidditch. Since 2003’s Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup, a game centered around the sport hasn’t been released, with that title having come out approximately two decades ago.

Due to the massive fanbase of the Harry Potter franchise, it’s possible that the title alone could propel Quidditch Champions into a blockbuster game. However, history shows us that licensed games don’t always guarantee success; for example, Marvel’s Avengers didn’t perform well commercially despite being linked to popular cultural icons. The advantage for PlayStation owners is that Quidditch Champions will be available from day one in the PlayStation Plus monthly game catalog starting in September. Launching at $30 might seem risky, but if the strategy works like it did for Rocket League when it was first released, it could help Quidditch Champions succeed.

Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions Could Replicate Rocket League’s Success With PS Plus

Rocket League Started Off as a Buy-To-Play Game on PS Plus, Like Quidditch Champions

Initially released in mid-2015 as a paid game with a $20 price tag, Rocket League is now a free-to-play title, similar to Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions. Interestingly, this vehicular sports game debuted on PlayStation 4 and Windows. The multiplayer game surpassed the expectations of developer Psyonic on both platforms, particularly on PlayStation, where it became the most downloaded PS4 title of 2016, despite being a year old at that time. This popularity can be largely attributed to its release as a day-one offering on PlayStation Plus.

Sony generally offers fewer day-and-date releases on its main gaming subscription service, PlayStation Plus, compared to Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass. Unlike Microsoft, Sony has been critical of the idea, arguing that it could disrupt their cycle of AAA game releases and potentially lower quality. However, Sony has made exceptions by adding games like Animal Well, Stray, Sea of Stars, Tchia, and Meet Your Maker to PlayStation Plus on their release dates.

As a gamer, I gotta say, most of the games I play are indie titles, even something like Rocket League was once an independent game before Epic Games picked it up in 2019. So, when a big-budget game like Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions launches on PS Plus on the same day as its release, that’s pretty special because it’s not often we see AAA titles debuting on the service day one, whether they’re third-party or not.

Launching Day-One on PS Plus Could Turn Quidditch Champions Into a Massive Hit

The upcoming game, “Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions,” which is set to debut on PlayStation Plus, might receive the boost needed to transform it into a mainstream sensation. With tough rivals like “Fortnite,” “Fall Guys,” and “Rocket League” in the free-to-play multiplayer segment, this new sports title will need to fight for attention. However, its release on PlayStation Plus could significantly increase its visibility, particularly if it delivers on promises. Nevertheless, the ultimate success of “Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions” depends heavily on its quality. If the game falls short, it may struggle to gain traction despite its debut on PlayStation Plus, much like “Foamstars” and “Destruction All-Stars” did before.

Read More

2024-08-05 20:44