Harry Potter-style wizard school game reminds us it’s still alive. Yet fans keep asking if it’ll ever actually come out

It’s not unusual for games to take years to be released. We know that more than ever this year, thanks to games like Hollow Knight: Silksong, Grand Theft Auto 6, and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. Games are difficult to make, especially when the team is small. However, excited fans can become very impatient, as many of those same games have also demonstrated over the last few years. One you may not have heard of is a Harry Potter-inspired game about a magical school where players learn magic and use it to create the ultimate farm: Kitori Academy.

Harry Potter-inspired farming simulator has fans anxiously asking for updates and a release date

Kitori Academy has been in development since at least 2021, and the concept alone has fans looking forward to its eventual release. Today, on social media, the team behind the game, Cubenary, shared another screenshot with the caption: “Don’t be late for your next spell casting class…” In the replies, fans were mostly excited to learn more, and a few claimed that after seeing this post, they had added the game to their wishlist. But one person said the quiet part out loud: “Release date?”

The most recent post from Kitori Academy.Source: @KitoriAcademy on X/Twitter

Checking out Kitori Academy’s Steam page reveals the concern fans have that the game has been abandoned. In the community discussions tab, several Steam users have created posts requesting updates and inquiring whether the game is still in production. This has been a common enough concern on Steam that Valve recently introduced a new policy, warning players against buying certain Early Access titles if there hasn’t been an update in a while. These abandoned titles can feel predatory by essentially asking for money from players without delivering on the final product. This is likely a major reason that many players avoid Early Access altogether.

But thankfully, despite the constant concern, the team behind Kitori Academy is quick to stifle those rumors. In a Steam post shared in August, simply titled: “any updates?” The user wrote: “…it’s been so long since I’ve heard of any updates… is this game abandoned or something?” Just a few days after the post was shared, one of the developers responded, assuring the user that “the game definitely isn’t abandoned!” And going on to explain that they have been working on the game behind the scenes and are being careful about what they show when, particularly to avoid sharing too much of the game’s story. Of course, there is no way to know if this is true or not, but I, at least, am inclined to believe the team on this front.

Fans asking for updates, wondering if the game is abandoned.Source: Kitori Academy Steam Discussion page

Kitori Academy boasts impressive 3D visuals, which is not always easy for an independent team to pull off, and certainly will take years to reach a point where it’s ready for release. Sure, it has been several years since this game started development, but that’s not really that unusual. However, if players are consistently asking these kinds of questions, it is a sign to the team that they might need to address the issue to prevent their fans from worrying too much.

Fans have been concerned as long ago as 2023.Source: Kitori Academy Steam Discussion page

As this other Steam discussion post shows, fans have been clamoring for more information about Kitori Academy since 2023, nearly two years ago. Hype and anticipation can be great for the right game; it certainly worked well for Silksong, but that’s not a guaranteed outcome for every game. Cubenary’s only other game was a simple fantasy VR game from 2019, so they haven’t earned the same reputation as a studio like Team Cherry that encourages patience.

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If Kitori Academy looks interesting to you, remember that you can always add it to your Steam wishlist to help the team and show your excitement for their game. It really does go a long way for small teams and games like this. One way or another, excited fans will have to be patient for more Kitori Academy. Although, the development team has teased that they will be doing “a proper Steam update” soon.

• indie games
• life simulators
• simulator games