History VideoGame / HarryPotter

After Warners had smashing success developing video games based on some of their other IP in-house (including ''[[VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfMordor Lord of the Rings]]'' and ''Franchise/{{Batman|ArkhamSeries}}'') throughout the 2010s, they decided to stop licensing. In 2012 and 2013, they released two AugmentedReality games that use the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3's ''Wonderbook'' peripheral. In 2017, they created a subsidiary called Creator/PortkeyGames solely dedicated to this franchise. These games are considered non-canon. Its projects include [[MobilePhoneGame mobile games]] like ''VideoGame/HarryPotterHogwartsMystery'' and an open world RPG called ''VideoGame/HogwartsLegacy''.

* BrickJoke: In the first UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor game, Harry trips on his way into the Gringotts dungeons, separating him from Griphook and Hagrid. In the second game, the same thing happens, and he says "They should make the floors more even in here. I trip every time I visit."

* HurricaneOfPuns: The UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor games, being much more humorous than the others, contain a lot of puns.

* NewGamePlus: The ''Sorcerer's Stone'' game for the UsefulNotes/GameBoy just starts over at the end of the year. You keep all your stats and wizard cards, sans all your spells if you didn't win the House Cup, meaning that you are stuck using only high level spells. This also applies to the Game Boy Color version of ''Chamber of Secrets'' and the GBA version of ''Prisoner of Azkaban''.

* ReformulatedGame: As was common with licensed games of the time coming out on as many systems as possible, each game had different versions tailored to different platforms. The first three games had separate versions for home consoles[[note]]with the first two having different versions for [=PS1=], and sixth generation consoles[[/note]], handheld consoles[[note]]again, the first two games had separate versions for UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor and UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance[[/note]], and PC. Starting with the fourth game they used the same version for consoles and PC while retaining (by necessity, of course) a distinct handheld version.

** And then there is the PS2 version of Philosopher's Stone, in which, instead of Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville earning a total of 170 points, Dumbledore awards Harry, Ron and Hermione 10 points each. [[DudeWheresMyRespect 10 points for defeating Voldemort himself. Thanks, Dumbledore.]]

After Warners had smashing success developing video games based on some of their other IP in house (including ''[[VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfMordor Lord of the Rings]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/BatmanArkham Batman]]'') throughout the 2010s, they decided to stop licensing. In 2012 and 2013, they released two AugmentedReality games that use the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3's ''Wonderbook'' peripheral. In 2017, they created a subsidiary called Creator/PortkeyGames solely dedicated to this franchise. These games are considered non-canon. Its projects include [[MobilePhoneGame mobile games]] like ''VideoGame/HarryPotterHogwartsMystery'' and an open world RPG called ''VideoGame/HogwartsLegacy''.

After Warners had smashing success developing video games based on some of their other IP in house (including ''[[VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfMordor Lord of the Rings]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/BatmanArkham Batman]]'') throughout the 2010s, they decided to stop licensing. In 2012 and 2013, they released two AugmentedReality games that use the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3's ''Wonderbook'' peripheral. In 2017, they created a subsidiary called Creator/PortkeyGames solely dedicated to this franchise. These games are considered non-canon. Its projects include [[MobilePhoneGame mobile games]] like ''VideoGame/HarryPotterHogwartsMystery'' and an upcoming open world RPG called ''VideoGame/HogwartsLegacy''.

** ''VideoGame/HogwartsLegacy'' (2022), the subsidiary's first feature length project. It is an [[WideOpenSandbox open-world]] ActionRPG set in the late 19th century.

* ItsUpToYou: Ron and Hermione like to essentially say "You handle this, Harry -- I'll do something inconsequential".

* NeverSayDie: In the earlier games Harry only "faints" if he runs out of health (which is itself referred to as his "stamina"). {{Justified}} as magic lessons wouldn't be expected to involve mortal danger. Ultimately Downplayed though as terms like "die" and "kill" are used in other situations such as fighting Voldemort (''[[PrepareToDie Die, Potter]]!'') or are part of the narrative, ("last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened, a Mudblood girl '''died'''").

* ManEatingPlant: Venomous Tentacula

* NeverSayDie: In the earlier games, dying in-game is described as "fainting", e.g. "the game will restart from this point if you faint". So if Harry falls into a bottomless chasm, that only caused him to "faint". Downplayed, however, as the words "die" and "kill" are used in-story, e.g. "last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened, a Mudblood girl '''died'''". Also ''[[PrepareToDie Die, Potter]]!''.

* {{Abandonware}}: The older PC games use [=SafeDisc=] DRM, which means that on Window 7/8/8.1 as of a September 2015 Windows Update you need to manually enable a Windows service that's off by default in order to play it, and that on Windows 10 they are unplayable since that service has been dropped.[[note]]There ''is'' a way to get them to play on newer releases of Windows--hacking the game so it doesn't require the disc be inserted to be played--but it strays into legally questionable territory.[[/note]] EA has not digitally re-released the games, so the only official versions are the original discs.