Words: Don Spencer

With less than a month to go until the launch of what could be the first truly great Harry Potter game, Hogwarts Legacy, Portkey Games have given us a fresh glimpse into one of the leading characters, Headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black.

Gaming and Harry Potter fans alike have welcomed well known British comedy actor Simon Pegg to the wizarding world, as he takes his place as voice actor for the pompous and much disdained headteacher. Pegg is best known for his role in co-writing and playing the lead protagonists in The Three Flavour Cornetto Trilogy (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World's End) directed by English filmmaker Edgar Wright.

The trailer sees Pegg appraise his character's lack of integrity and shows some behind the scenes audio sessions as well as fresh cutscenes. The clip reveals some interesting trivia about the character's role in the Harry Potter canon too.

Whilst not necessarily the main villain of the game, Headmaster Black is certainly not an ally to your character and will act as both a help and a hindrance to your journey. Despite being the great great grandfather of film series' favourite Sirius Black, he does not exude the courage and strength of character of his descendant.

''He's not noble, he's not brave, he's just a self interested fool''

Pegg on Headmaster Black's character

Portkey Games is a studio developed specifically for ''creating gaming experiences related to the wizarding world.'' The game itself is developed by Avalanche Software, best known for Disney Infinity (2013) and its successors. Historically, the HP tie in games have been developed by E.A, and whilst nostalgic memories for many, they are games that were poorly received have not aged particularly well. In this new open world venture Portkey Games have the opportunity to create something special.

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The fully open world Hogwarts game allows you to create your own character and pursue not only your academic path but adventures well beyond the castle walls. Whilst the game is detached from the movie timeline, fans of the series will be able to explore canonical locations including The Forbidden Forest, Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley.

Hogwarts Legacy will be released February 10th for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, with a release date of April 4th for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Ahead of its release, Hogwarts Legacy is already Steam's most popular game. Pre install Hogwarts Legacy on Steam.

Make sure your gaming rig is ready for the next generation of graphics with Fierce PC's 4080 series.

Hogwarts Legacy Minimum Requirements

  • OS: Windows 10
  • CPU: Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • GPU: AMD RX Vega 56 or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070
  • DirectX: Version 12
  • Storage: 85 GB available space (SSD preferred)