Since the core Harry Potter film series has come to a close, fans have also seen the Harry Potter video games dry up and fade away. Without a motion picture to attach a new game to, Warner Bros. simply hasn't seen fit to create any new titles. That may change when the Fantastic Beasts films are released, but considering that the Harry Potter movie tie-ins were generally terrible and didn't sell all that well, it's doubtful that Warner Bros. is going to release a new game anytime soon.
...but what if that wasn't the case?
What if, instead of Warner Bros. and EA pushing some cheap cash-in out the door, there was a company willing to innovate and put the effort into the Harry Potter titles? What if there was a company, seemingly loved by all, that could make the Harry Potter games a pillar of the industry? According to Unseen64.net, that was almost the case.
New information has revealed that, at one time, Nintendo was part of an auction for the Harry Potter licensing rights. That's right: Nintendo almost bought Harry Potter.
Of course, creating such a pitch in a short amount of time is no easy task, and disputes over the game's art style began to take their toll. Nintendo wanted something with a more Japanese flavor, while the team and Rowling herself wanted to keep the British flavor of the novel intact. Eventually, the pitch was finished...but it wasn't enough.
Rowling would decline Nintendo's offer simply because there was one thing that other companies could offer her that Nintendo could not: a film franchise. Nintendo was limited to strictly video games (especially following the disastrous Super Mario Brothers film), where studios like Universal and Warner Bros. could offer multimedia empires.
Eventually, Warner Bros. was chosen, and the company would use Electronic Arts to produce tie-in titles for all of the major motion picture releases. Aside from a few bright spots, the titles were all trash, and fans would have to turn to the Lego Harry Potter titles for anything worthwhile.
It's painful to know that one of the greatest companies in the video game industry missed out on one of the greatest fantasy franchises ever. Think about it: there could have been an entire library of amazing Nintendo Harry Potter games, instead of the shovelware the EA produced.
If that's not the definition of tragedy, then what is?
