A Harry Potter MMO was "killed" by EA for lack of belief in the IP
Riddikulus.
EA cancelled a Harry Potter MMO game as it didn't believe in the longevity of the IP.
Twitch streamer The Real Brandolorian interviewed Kim Salzer, who was EA's director of product marketing from 2000-2003.
Salzer mentioned the MMO when asked about a game that never saw the light of day.
"A big one for me, because I was so personally involved in it, and it's such a huge IP that has lived on is an online massively multiplayer game for Harry Potter," she said.
"We did all the research, we had the beta built out, it was a combination offline/online experience where we'd actually mail stuff to the kids, like prizes and ribbons and stuff like that.
"Thoroughly researched, very confident in the success of this. But it was killed, for lack of a better term, because EA was going through changes at that time and they just didn't know or believe enough that that IP would have a shelf-life longer than a year or two."
EA held the rights to Harry Potter during that time, but Warner Bros has since taken control under its label Portkey Games.
Hogwarts Legacy is the next major game to be released by the studio, though it was delayed until 2022 earlier this year. It's set to have a trans-inclusive character creator, despite controversial opinions from author J.K. Rowling.