Inside the Console Launch: Our Biggest Milestone Yet

For years, our community has been asking one simple question: “When will Wizard101 come to console?” Now, that moment has finally arrived, and it marks one of the biggest milestones in our studio’s history. This launch is about more than expanding to new platforms; it is about growth, accessibility, and opening the Spiral to a broader audience than ever before.

Dipping our toes into the console market for the first time is a defining moment for us—one that reflects years of ambition, technical effort, and community support. We spoke with Joel White, Vice President of Product, to discuss what this milestone means to him personally, and how it reflects the work of the team behind the launch.

“It means fulfilling a dream for Wizard101 that we have collectively had as a company and players for years,” said Joel. “Being able to get the game in front of more people is amazing and adding to the 70 million players who have played Wizard101 in the past. Some of those players may not have a PC anymore, but may have a console, so letting them come back to the Spiral, and making is so they can share our stories with their friends.”

Like many long-term studio goals, the push to release Wizard101 on console evolved over time, shaped by opportunity, resources, and timing. Initial efforts began in 2021, shortly after KingsIsle was acquired by gamigo, but early attempts stalled due to industry conditions and resource challenges.

That changed in the summer of 2023, when momentum finally shifted. At gamescom 2023, Joel focused on finding partners with experience bringing games built on Gamebryo—Wizard101’s long-standing game engine—to modern consoles.

“I had over 30 meetings in three days,” Joel recalled. “We were able to find a few key individuals who could help us navigate the technical challenges.”

Once the plan was finalized, the programming team pivoted in January 2024 to focus on console development, while the platform teams began building new back-end systems to support console accounts, certification requirements, and platform-specific infrastructure.

Although the team initially hoped to launch earlier, Wizard101 entered Xbox Game Preview in 2025 before fully launching on Xbox and PlayStation later that year. According to Joel, the preview period proved invaluable.

“Those months of game preview really helped us get ready for full launch,” he said. “I’m still in shock when I think about the massive number of players who logged in during the first few weeks.”

Bringing a 17-year-old, PC-first MMO to console came with unique challenges, particularly adapting to the rigorous certification standards of platform holders.

“Learning how to interact with console teams was one of the biggest hurdles,” Joel noted. “We have been self-published for 17 years. With Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo, every icon, color, and pixel placement is reviewed by their QA teams. That was entirely new for us.”

Joel credits much of the launch’s success to behind-the-scenes coordination, particularly the efforts of team members like Tarja Rechsteiner, Senior Producer at KingsIsle, who managed organization, compliance, and communication across multiple console platforms.

“I handle a lot of communication,” said Tarja. “My role is to make sure that the teams involved are talking to each other and everyone is aware of our goals and priorities, that we are talking with the console makers and meeting their expectations, requirements, and deadlines. I also try to gather bugs and feedback reports from our players to bring back to the teams.”

Looking ahead, becoming a console studio is already reshaping our long-term vision. Joel hopes the experience will influence how future projects are designed, especially when it comes to user interfaces and controller-first game-play.

“The longest part of the process was getting all the UI screens working well on a controller,” he said. “If we plan for that from the ground up, it will make things much simpler going forward.”

Tarja echoed that sentiment, noting that adapting Wizard101’s interface for console required reshaping systems that had evolved over nearly two decades.

“Converting all of the existing UI to work with controllers was a huge challenge,” Tarja said. “Wizard101 has deeply layered interface structures that were built up over its long history, and many of them were originally designed with keyboard and mouse controls in mind.”

Launching on consoles gives us the incredible opportunity to introduce Wizard101 to a whole new audience–many of whom will be stepping into the Spiral for the first time. Console players come in ready to play, explore, and engage deeply with their games. That mindset gives us more than just new players; it challenges us to keep delivering meaningful content and experiences that truly resonate with how they play.

The highly anticipated arrival of Wizard101 on console marks a historic moment for us as a studio, and the players who have supported the game for nearly two decades. By opening the Spiral door to console audiences, we are extending the game’s legacy and inviting millions more to experience 17 years of storytelling and adventure.

This milestone is a celebration of the memories you’ve created together as a community. Your voices, creativity, and passion have brought Wizard101 to life in ways we could never have imagined. As we embark on this new chapter, we thank you — for growing up with us, for the friendships you’ve made, and for keeping the Spiral thriving year after year. Because of you, our story continues to unfold, and we can’t wait to see new Wizards join the adventure you helped create.

Learn more about Wizard101 on console: www.console.wizard101.com