A new job listing has Internet speculators wondering if a Harry Potter RPG might be in the works at Warner Bros. The entertainment company manages a number of well-known intellectual properties, including Batman and Lord of the Rings, so it's possible that the new game will tie into another Time Warner IP, but there are a few clues that appear to point to a Harry Potter RPG.
Published Mar. 30, the job posting in question announced an open Senior Game Writer position at former Disney Infinity developer Avalanche Software, which Warner Bros. Interactive acquired in January 2017. The job listing on the Warner Bros. careers website reads, in part:
Warner Bros. Games Inc. seeks a Senior Writer for the Avalanche Story department. We are looking for a talented storyteller with a deep understanding of British culture and grammatical presentation. Applicants should be creative self-motivated problem solvers who enjoy collaborating with other writers and designers to create an immersive game narrative. If this is you, send us your resume and writing samples (both humor and drama represented) for consideration. [emphasis mine]
Other key passages that point to Warner Bros. producing a Harry Potter RPG include the ideal candidate's need to "provide British authenticity," and to have a body of "work that shows a deep understanding of gaming narrative and branching storytelling, particularly in the realm of RPGs."
As Metro notes, this listing could also point to a Lord of the Rings or Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy-related title, but that seems highly unlikely in a world that continues to be obsessed with all things Potter, 20 years after J.K. Rowling first introduced it to the Boy Who Lived. The Harry Potter franchise has an estimated worth of $25 billion, and with four more spin-off films and even a possible limited TV series on the horizon, no one expects the Hogwarts Express to stop any time soon.
The last Harry Potter video game to be released was the 2013 Sony/Pottermore title Wonderbook: Book of Potions, a PlayStation exclusive that used the Playstation Move peripheral to simulate spellcasting with a wand. It was one title in a slew of early-2010s offerings that failed to deliver the kind of experiences brought on by earlier Harry Potter games, such as the Chamber of Secrets tie-in and Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup. Notable exceptions to those latter-day doldrums were the two LEGO: Harry Potter video games, released in 2010 and 2011, which proved to be faithful adaptations full of quirky charm.
Avalanche Studios has not developed an RPG in the past, but was responsible for creating Disney tie-in video games for more than 10 years.
Are you excited at the prospect of a Harry Potter RPG? Share your thoughts with me on Twitter!
