Hogwarts Legacy is one of the most anticipated games this year, with fans eagerly waiting to see what it can offer. Just by the looks of it, it promises a great adventure, taking all players to Hogwarts, a magical world that has plenty of things you can explore.
However, at the moment, there is a review embargo for the game, so no one can really see what exactly they can expect from the game.
So, what exactly is a review embargo and when does it lift? Let’s take a closer look and see when you will be able to see the review critics.
What is a Review Embargo?
A review embargo is a fairly simple concept. It is a ban that a company may set about publishing anything about a particular topic (in this case, a game), before a particular date.
Since that given company owns the game and it is their intellectual property, they have all the rights to set the conditions of using the game. This includes any possible reviews by streamers or other types of coverage about that game.
Why Did Warner Bros Put an Embargo to the Game?
The announcement that The Hogwarts Legacy is being released didn’t go short of controversies. There are certain players and review sites that have decided to boycott the game due to J.K. Rowling’s history of comments transphobic comments.
With that in mind, there could be a couple of reasons why Warner Bros decided to put a review embargo on The Hogwarts Legacy.
First off, there are some claims that the company might be worried about the controversies mentioned above, and they now don’t trust their product. Therefore, they might decide that the best tactic for that would be to stop any potential reviews coming for a certain period.
The second, and probably the reason that makes the most sense, is that Warner Bros looks to pump up net traffic on the day the game is released.
That traffic will mean that search engine algorithms on Google will put the game on top of the search queries.
So, we can say that the review embargo has nothing to do with the quality of the game, it is just a synchronized advertisement push.
Why Are Fans Complaining?
Well, it is not rocket science to see that fans are not overly enjoying this situation. Everyone who seeks to order a game at that price-point would like to see some real-user experiences.
With the review embargo, no one is able to see what The Hogwarts Legacy is truly about. Now, everyone has to wait until the embargo lifts so they can see more detailed insight into the game.
When is the Review Embargo for The Hogwarts Legacy Lifted?
Warner Bros announced that February 6, 2023, at 4.00 AM PT is the date and time when the review embargo is lifted.
Of course, with a lifted review embargo, players can see opinions about The Hogwarts Legacy before its early access, which is very helpful.