Hogwarts Legacy Summer Update Revealed with Photo Mode and More

Over a year for a photo mode that should have been day 1.

Weird. No actual upgrades to performance or gameplay. I do have to go back to finish it, and I was hoping for something a bit more gameplay focused. Reseting abilities is nice, though, especially for revisiting a save if you don't like a set up or want to try something else.

Maybe it's just me but I have noticed I am hearing about photo mode in games regularly lately. Not that I'm against it.

@DennisReynolds I don't get why these things aren't just added day one, other than as a way to try and make the games talked about again.

@DennisReynolds

And it was the best selling game of 2023. Clearly not a priority.

Nice to see that a Photo Mode is being added, I stopped playing this mid-way through the story so the Photo Mode might be a good incentive to return to the game.

Capturing Hogwarts Castle from various angles during the day and night and in different weather conditions will be quite interesting.

To be fair the devs did tell folks to temper their expectations for the update so it isn't too surprising its a bit of a light update. Still, the photo mode will be nice when I return to play it again sometime.

Game probably be in the top 10 selling for the year. Really has long legs.

@Lup and it doesn't change the fact a basic feature like this should be there day 1.

@DennisReynolds hate to be this way, but that's definitely not a "fact".

I really digged this game. Surprised me how enjoyable it was to play.

Way too late for a photomode. I honestly thought they had stopped supporting it, considering its come out over a year ago. Game was decent but definitely lacked in the narrative department. Hopefully a sequel will improve on that.

@naruball Its ok i understand the need to defend out favourite toys from anything and not understand a figure of speech 🙄

@Americansamurai1

Hogwarts Legacy has a longer tail, sales-wise, than a Hungarian Horntail.

@N1ghtW1ng yeah those protests really did hurt it. Lol

@DennisReynolds literally not a figure of speech. Also, nice assumption, but I haven't even played the game nor am I a huge fan of the franchise. But you know what they say that happens when you assume.

Thank god, I've had my character standing in the same position for seven months while I waited for this photo mode to drop. My electricity bill has been sky high.

@DennisReynolds I dunno if a photo mode is a necessary feature that should be expected at launch for any game. It's purely additive, in my view. I'd rather the devs prioritize bug fixes and such pre-launch, but if they have the extra bandwidth, it's always a nice thing to see.

My favourite game of '23. Gutted it has no DLC and just these non-event patches.

Amazing how something like AC Valhalla gets oodles of DLC every five minutes, and class games like this don't.

Then again, I think if I reinstalled it, I wouldn't have a clue how to play after all this time.

@naruball I mean it is. Its just a phrase people use but it doesn't mean they mean it literally but i guess nothing flies over your head because you would catch it right? 🙄

@wildcat_kickz In this day and age NG+ modes and photo modes should just be there from the start. A photo mode over a year after launch is near useless because of the majority of people have played and completed it.

Stunning that WB games had the most successful game in 2023, which was single-player, then a massive bomb in Suicide Squad this year - a direct result of it being a live-service game, and still wants to only do live service multiplayer. So much creative bankruptcy in this industry at the AAA level

Can't wait to take hollow photos in a hollow game.

I'm not against photo modes and it's great for those that enjoy them, but personally I don't get why people would spend ages playing around in this mode, what do you actually do with the photos after you've taken them? Can you upload them to your phone or social media? If not then what's the point? Genuine questions by the way.

I am disappointed that this update is not more substantial. Hopefully there will be a bigger update later this year with some QoL improvements to the game.

@UltimateOtaku91 Yes, you can do all sorts of things with them. On PlayStation, they sync to the PS App and can also be saved in other ways, then uploaded wherever or shared with friends.

Photo modes are fun, but they’re also a way for devs to engage with their communities and involve players in marketing their favorite games. Some devs (e.g. Naughty Dog) even hold regular photo mode contests for the best shots on their social media profiles.

The new cosmetics look nice, but others were preorder bonuses so aren’t new to early adopters. I get that overall sales far exceed pre-orders, but this feels a bit lackluster for how long it’s been since release on most platforms.

The ability to reset talent points is nice, considering you can’t unlock every ability in a playthrough. Also, everyone deserves to experience the Haunted Hogsmeade quest and the function it unlocks.

I’d have loved to see some form of New Game+, but obviously it’d need to be balanced for the gameplay progression. If there was going to be more to the update, State of Play would have been the time to make that announcement.