Hogwarts Legacy Mod Support Shows Modding Is No Longer a Niche Hobby

Hogwarts Legacyhas enjoyed massive success, with the IP drawing 30 million people into playing the game. It isn't as though the game itself isn't worthy of the IP either, and although it isn't flawless, it is almost everything that players wanted out of an RPG in the Wizarding World. Players can attend Hogwarts as a student, exploring the castle, going to classes, and venturing into the surrounding regions that should be far too dangerous for a school to be hosted nearby. That doesn't mean players haven't wanted more out of the experience, however.

Practically from its release, Hogwarts Legacy has had a relatively strong modding community, especially for a title made with Unreal Engine 4. Typically, games that enjoy strong modding communities are made with in-house engines, such as Skyrim's Creation Engine or Baldur's Gate 3's Divinity 4.0 engine, but Hogwarts Legacy has bucked that trend, so much so that Avalanche Software has acknowledged its modding community. This seems to be a recent trend, and modding might not be the niche hobby it used to be, given that many developers are turning to it in order to give their games added longevity.

Hogwarts Legacy Is Providing Mod Support And A Creation Kit

It Is Coming As Part Of A Free Update

As announced on the Hogwarts Legacy YouTube channel, the game will receive a free update on January 30 that will add official PC modding support. This will include an in-game mod manager and a creation kit to help modders create projects for the game. This will make both downloading and making mods a great deal easier, opening the door to potentially ground-breaking projects if something like Skyrim's modding community is used as a benchmark. This could be a big step forward for Hogwarts Legacy and keep a game that has sold 30 million copies going for years to come.

The Hogwarts Legacy creation kit is free to download on the Epic Games store and can be used in Unreal Engine 4.

Although it enjoyed a decently strong modding community before, it shouldn't be underestimated how much bigger official support can make a game's mods. The convenience of official modding support allows more people who aren't willing to go through the annoyance of using third party software to get involved.

Modding without official support can be time-consuming and tedious for both users and creators, but an official mod manager, which allows players to download through in-game UI, makes it more accessible, especially for those who don't have the time to spend hours trying to get a mod list functioning.

Witcher 3 & Baldur's Gate 3 Provided Mod Support In 2024

Many Are Trying To Follow In Skyrim's Footsteps

Astarion from Baldur's Gate 3 looking puzzled on the left and Jaheira with a glowing hand on the right.

It seems that developers are acknowledging the power of a game's modding community and have decided to play into this, rather than preventing free, community-made content from being made. Relatively recently, The Witcher 3 and Baldur's Gate 3 were given mod support and better creation tools.

These have been massively beneficial for both, and although it is too recent to tell, the mod support should help these games' longevity. BG3 has already benefited from an astounding number of mod downloads due to how easy it is for people new to modding to get involved.

This trend can largely be attributed to Skyrim, due to how staggeringly large and impressive its modding community is. The game is practically immortal, and while it may be unrealistic to assume something like Hogwarts Legacy will replicate that level of success, it will tide people over until a sequel is released. Modders will always find a way, but official mod support makes these small and niche communities much bigger, which is usually the key when it comes to making a game live for as long as possible.

Modding Is Now More Mainstream Than Ever

Hogwarts Legacy And Baldur's Gate 3 Prove This

While Skyrim's modding community has set a standard of endurance, Baldur's Gate 3 shows how popular modding can be when given the right tools. Posted on X by Larian, the developer confirmed that over 100 million mods had been installed by BG3 players.

Hogwarts Legacy's in-game mod manager doesn't seem too different from BG3's, and with it selling over 30 million copies, it has the potential to enjoy similar numbers, especially with the Harry Potter IP backing it up.

BG3 included mod support with Patch 7, and Patch 8 is looking to add cross-platform play.

Modding has never been more popular, and that is because it has never been easier. Yes, there are still risks of games crashing and files conflicting, but with developers acknowledging their modding communities and giving them a helping hand, things have never looked better for modders. More importantly, these services remain largely free. With Hogwarts Legacy being the latest game to offer official mod support, it feels like a part of the industry is enjoying a golden age, even if the rest of it has suffered from a lack of quality.

Source: Hogwarts Legacy-/YouTube, Larian Studios/X