There have been rumors of a big RPG set in the Wizarding World for a while and when Hogwarts Legacy Finally hit stores in early 2023, it became everything many fans asked for. Players were able to explore Hogwarts in all its glory, getting a look at all four Common Rooms, not just the Gryffindor one, as was the case in many games tied in with the Harry Potter films. It sold so well that it should come as no surprise that Avalanche Software wants to replicate that success with a sequel that has now entered development.
With a title as successful as Hogwarts Legacy and with all the weight of Harry Potter IP behind it, a sequel was always waiting to happen. The fact that a sequel is being made is not surprising, but the news that it will be linked to the upcoming HBO serieswhich will once again adapt the book series, was surprising. It makes sense from a marketing perspective; however, Hogwarts Legacy is known for being in a period untouched by previous projects, being set in 1890.
Hogwarts Legacy 2 shouldn’t be a retread
There are many other places the game can take players
There will always be some form of retread with the Harry Potter series, since the books and films are so iconic, and if the sequel is titled Hogwarts Legacy 2, it is reasonable for Hogwarts Castle to be visited again. Still, that doesn’t mean games should take players back to the 90s, when the events of Harry Potter book series happens. Even going beyond the 90s, you could step on someone’s toes. THE Cursed Child theatrical production, which begins in the late 2010s and ends in 2020/21.
Even a game set in modern times would retread content that has already been seen, and with book series being adapted into a film series, tie-in games, and now a new Harry Potter HBO show, it doesn’t seem like the right choice to link Hogwarts Legacy 2 for these events. The world is already well aware of the events of Harry Potter and no doubt had the desire to explore Hogwarts as they know it, scratched with the first Hogwarts Legacy game. If Hogwarts is to be revisited, it would be best to show it in a way it has never been seen before.
With Hogwarts Legacy Taking place in 1890, the Hogwarts seen in the game isn’t exactly the same as the castle seen in the films, but for the most part, much of it is familiar. Many of the environments are basically the same a hundred years laterlike the Gryffindor Common Room and the students’ uniform, and it’s close enough to what everyone knows. Offering players such a different Hogwarts could be the sequel’s appeal, and there’s a perfect era in the Wizarding World for that.
The founding of Hogwarts would be a cool setting
It was often mentioned but never visited
One of the eras of the Magical World that is often mentioned in Harry Potter series, but never visited before, is the Founding of Hogwarts in the 10th century. It is mentioned a lot in THE Chamber of Secretswith all of Hogwarts’ founders being named. Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff and Salazar Slytherin will all be present this term, names that fans of the series know well but haven’t properly met outside of their portraits around the castle.
Although not much is known about these wizards, their conflict is well known, with Salazar Slytherin arguing with Godric Gryffindor. This conflict occurred due to a disagreement over whether Hogwarts should allow non-Pureblood students to enter and could provide the basis for Hogwarts Legacy 2plot. This could be a pretty dark topic to explore in the modern day, given that it’s essentially racism, but the Wizarding World is known for covering dark topics like House-Elf slavery.
ONE Hogwarts Legacy sequence would be It would technically be a prequel if it took place around the time of the Founding of Hogwartsand it would be interesting if the player character was one of the first students to enroll. Seeing early Hogwarts tinker with concepts that would later become key features of the school, like the founders figuring out what subjects witches and wizards should know, would make for an interesting period. The developer would certainly have the freedom to experiment with an era so far back in the timeline.
How a new era could make Hogwarts Legacy 2 special
Could make the history of the wizarding world richer
The tenth century is so far in the past compared to the Harry Potter series of books that developers could experiment a lot with the IP. Yes, Hogwarts would be a different place from the one everyone knows, but the magic itself could also be very different. Being in the 10th century, magic could be more druidic or ritual-basedand there could be an additional rawness to the spells that would be better refined by generations of magic users.
The Ministry of Magic hadn’t even been founded at this point and the Wizarding World could be so different that the game’s worldbuilding could be almost anything the developer wanted. The areas around Hogwarts will be wilder, with the Founders of Hogwarts needing to make pacts with the ancient inhabitants of the Great Lake and the Forbidden Forest to keep their students relatively safe. The increasing difficulties of founding Hogwarts would provide many combat situations for a student explorer.
Ultimately, it seems like a strange strategy to try to link Hogwarts LegacyThe sequel to the HBO series, as there is much that still needs to be explored in the Wizarding World. The Wizarding World needs to become more than just Harry Potter and the failure of Fantastic Beasts series means the game’s setting is probably the best place to experiment. It seems that Hogwarts Legacy series could be what Knights of the Old Republic was for Star Wars if handled correctly by Avalanche Software.