After the massive success ofHogwarts Legacyin 2023, it seemed like only a matter of time before a sequel would be announced. In addition to a follow-up game, the success of the magical RPG has initiated a whole slew ofHarry Pottermedia for Wizarding World fans to look forward to. Warner Bros, the owners of many rights related to the massivePotterfranchise, willtry to tie new products together through storytelling, but that might not be a good thingfor the franchise.
Hogwarts Legacytakes place in a wizarding world a long, long time ago, which is a fantastic way for the franchise tocreate new stories that aren’t forced to connectwith the Chosen One narrative from the mainHarry Potterbooks. If Warner Bros is looking to tie more games into the main story, itmay be a bad sign for the story ofHogwarts Legacy’s sequel.
Hogwarts Legacy’s Sequel Will Coordinate Stories From The Show
A Shared Universe Of Magic
According to a report byVariety, theHarry Potterfranchise is looking to start its engines again after the disappointing performance of the last couple of Wizarding World films. The spark for this new activity wasHogwarts Legacy, asthe success of the game encouraged Warner Bros to create, and connect, even more wizarding contentin the lead-up to the upcomingHarry Pottershow on HBO. It’s a similar shift in approach to other major franchise universes likeStar Warsand the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Hogwarts Legacy’s Rumored DLC Has Me Excited For One Key Reason
Hogwarts Legacy’s rumored DLC has the chance to add a game-changing feature that would truly make it the definitive experience I’ve been waiting for.
The newestPotterproducts - like video games, TV shows, and movies -will interconnect through their stories. David Haddad, the president of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, stated that“the games team has been coordinating some of the big-picture storytelling elements in the “Hogwarts Legacy” sequel with the storylines that will play out in the “Harry Potter” HBO series.”What exactly those big picture elements are is unclear, especially since the story inHogwarts Legacytakes place over a century beforeany of the events of the original books, predating almost every living character except Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel.
Hogwarts Legacy 2 Would’ve Already Followed Established Canon
All Harry Potter Media Will Connect In Some Way
Any sequel toHogwarts Legacywould likely follow the events of the first game, which hasalways adhered to established canon for theHarry Potteruniverse. Since all products in the series have all, more or less, followed the rules set forth by earlier works, it’s unlikely that any sequel game would’ve broken the pattern.
TheFantastic Beastsfilms make some tweaks to established lore, but they steer clear of major overhauls.
The only product set in thePotteruniverse that has heavily broken canon, the playHarry Potter and the Cursed Child, has largely been rejected by fans, soit’s possible the Warner Bros is working to avoid that reaction againin any future creation. Even so, considering the first game’s positive reception, it seems like an unnecessary move with unclear results.
How Hogwarts Legacy 2 Could Make This Work
Connections Through World Building May Be The Answer
Since the upcoming HBO show will simply be a retelling of the originalHarry Potterbooks published in the 90s, it’s confusing how exactly the two products will connect in their storiesbesides taking place in the same universe. Theworst-case scenario is that the game’s sequel abandons the more historical settingand brings the story closer in the timeline to the 1990s, but based on the success of the first game’s setting, this seems unlikely.
The most likely scenario for the HBO show is thatit references the events of the games in a passing way, like mentioning a goblin uprising in the 1890s or bringing up ancient magic.No substantial plotlines can connect to the games, since the seven-book-long saga is well established and beloved by fans.
Hogwarts Legacy 2’s Best Setting Might Not Even Be Hogwarts
Hogwarts Legacy has a confirmed sequel, and while nothing else is yet known, it might be the perfect time to switch the focus to a new school.
It seems more likely thatthe sequel toHogwarts Legacywill conform in some way to reference something inHarry Potterrather than the other way around. An original story would have much more freedom to innovate, and thefirst game has already referenced the original storyin multiple clever ways. One possibility, if the sequel takes place a decade or so after the first game, would be toinclude Dumbledore in the storywhile he attends Hogwarts.
Exploring theorigins of iconic spells inHarry Pottercould be another interesting path for the sequel. One idea could be a wizard discovering and usingthe dark magic of Horcruxes, the soul-splitting spell used by Tom Riddle/Voldemort which was massively taboo in the wizarding world by the time Riddle attended Hogwarts. Alternatively,the game could explore the origins of the Patronus charm, which is used throughout theHarry Potterseries in multiple iconic scenes. Any idea that connects these stories through world-building rather than characters would be ideal, considering the large time gap betweenHogwarts LegacyandHarry Potter.
Source:Variety
Editor’s Note: Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling has been accused of transphobia by those in the LGBTQ+ community. Although not directly involved in the development of Hogwarts Legacy, Rowling does stand to earn royalties from the game. We would like to reiterate our support for trans rights and that trans identities are valid. Support services are listed below for trans people impacted by discussions of transphobia.
