Hogwarts Legacy Switch Version to Receive Extensive Day One Update

Highlights

The Switch version of Hogwarts Legacy will require a day-one patch, which is mandatory to download and will take up approximately 8GB of storage space.

The choice to incorporate a day-one patch probably aimed at cutting down on Switch licensing fees, given that the game's physical copies are stored on a 7GB cartridge.

Although the Switch edition of Hogwarts Legacy will feature smaller files and textures with lower resolutions compared to other gaming consoles, it will still provide a comparable artistic experience.

Warner Bros. subsidiary Portkey Games has announced that a substantial day-one patch for Hogwarts Legacy on the Switch will be mandatory to download. Nintendo's hybrid console owners can finally enjoy the highly anticipated Harry Potter RPG starting on November 14. The game originally had a staggered release, debuting on PC and current-generation consoles in February. It later arrived on PS4 and Xbox One three months later, with the Switch version initially slated for a late July release but ultimately delayed by almost four months.

With the upcoming release date on November 14 rapidly approaching, Portkey Games has officially announced that Hogwarts Legacy for the Switch will receive a day-one patch. This patch will necessitate approximately 8GB of available storage space for installation. The publisher has confirmed that the update is essential for playing the game. Furthermore, it has clarified that the physical copies of both the Standard and Deluxe Editions of Hogwarts Legacy for the Switch will be provided on a cartridge that is approximately 7GB in size. These details combined suggest that the day-one patch's primary purpose is to reduce costs on Switch licensing fees, which are contingent on cartridge sizes.

This is not intended to criticize Portkey Games, as supplementing small cartridge sizes with day-one downloads has become a common industry practice since the release of the Switch in 2017. According to industry analyst Daniel Ahmad, a 32GB Switch cartridge is roughly 60% more expensive than a 50GB Blu-ray disc for the PS4, which has led many publishers to limit physical releases to 8GB and instead require significant day-one update downloads.

Portkey Games has also confirmed that language packs for Hogwarts Legacy on the Switch will be approximately 1.5GB each. Despite this, the upcoming port will still be significantly more compressed compared to the original version of the popular Harry Potter RPG. For reference, Hogwarts Legacy occupies around 80GB on current-generation consoles and PC.

The Switch's space savings are primarily due to the utilization of lower-resolution textures. Despite this, fans can anticipate aesthetically comparable graphics to other game versions, as evidenced by the initial Hogwarts Legacy Switch screenshots found on the eShop. Currently, Hogwarts Legacy is accessible on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with its release set for November 14 on the Nintendo Switch.

Source: Portkey Games Support, Daniel Ahmad / Twitter