Like a Bludger to the face, this piece of news has come out of nowhere with seemingly zero build-up: The LEGO Harry Potter Collection, which combines Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 and Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-8 into one magic package, is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series consoles on October 8.
Developer Double Eleven is handling the remaster. Founded in 2009, there’s a reasonable chance you haven’t heard of them and that’s because they’ve built a reputation as a studio that ports other people’s games. For example, they worked with Rockstar San Diego on last year’s Red Dead Redemption port.
This will actually be the third re-release/remaster of the Collection. The first game was released in 2010, while Years 5-7 came out a year later in 2011. Both games were then remastered and released in LEGO Harry Potter Collection form for PS4 and Xbox One. Double Eleven worked on both of those releases.
This new version promises a couple of enhancements including native 4K resolution and 60FPS. Keep in mind, the PS4 version of the Collection already actually runs at 60FPS. Upgraded shadow maps are also mentioned, along with things like haptic feedback support for the Dualsense.
If you already own the LEGO Harry Potter Collection you will not get the new version for free, but you will get an undisclosed discount if you fancy upgrading.
The LEGO Harry Potter games are fantastic, and easily stand as some of the best LEGO games ever. Their retelling of the books and movies via mute LEGO characters is immensely charming and frequently hilarious.
This remaster though, feels lazy and pointless. The game’s already run great and are readily available. Even the announcement trailer feels cheap, with horrible backing music.
In other Harry Potter news, the release of Quidditch Champions is *glances at watch* tomorrow!? Jeez. It has had to rewrite the rules of Quidditch because they make zero sense in a real sport context. It’ll also be free to PSN subscribers.