WithHogwarts Legacy 2on the way, Avalanche Software has a chance to take the series in a cool new direction. That said, it seems somewhat unlikely that we will see any significant changes to the setup forHogwarts Legacy 2, especially if we are expecting to see the game in the next few years. This is somewhat of a shame since there is potential for theHogwarts Legacygames to do things that theHarry Potterfranchise never did.
Although it may seem silly to suggest a game titledHogwarts Legacy, it would be great to see the series take a step back from Hogwarts itself. While one could argue that the firstHogwarts Legacygame already strayed too far from the titular school - basing much of its action in the surrounding areas - it’s also true that theHarry Potterseries has pretty much milked the setting dry. TakingHogwarts Legacy 2to a new settingwould be a massive change for the series.
Leaving Hogwarts Behind Would Change Harry Potter Video Games
Harry Potter Video Games Rarely Leave The School
Pretty mucheveryHarry Pottervideo gametakes place in Hogwarts. BeforeHogwarts Legacy, we had a series of movie tie-in games that all took place at the castle.EvenHarry Potter: Quidditch Championsstarts with Hogwarts as the first playable location, despite being one of the games with the most potential to move the setting elsewhere. This is a missed opportunity, as plenty of other settings would be cool to explore inHogwarts Legacy 2.
Hogwarts Legacy 2 Gameplay Would Be So Much Better If It Added This Harry Potter Book Tradition
Adding a morality system with the House Cup, where players earn points through quests, would make a sequel to Hogwarts Legacy more immersive.
For one thing,Hogwarts isn’t the only magic school in the world of Harry Potter. Durmstrang, Beauxbatons, and Ilvermorny are probably the schools that have been the best developed and would all make interesting new settings for a video game. This would allow the franchise to keep the basic setting of being in a wizard school without having to constantly retread the same ground as previous games. That said, if theHarry Potterfranchise is any indication, theHogwarts Legacygames will continue to be set in the same location.
Hogwarts Legacy 2 Follows A Long Tradition
Most Harry Potter Media Focuses On Hogwarts
It isn’t justHarry Pottervideo games that have difficulty getting away from Hogwarts.The castle is the main setting for six out of the sevenHarry Potterbooksand still features heavily in the seventh. Even theFantastic Beastsfilms, which were meant to show us the Wizarding World outside Hogwarts, couldn’t resist returning and fueling audiences’ nostalgia for the main location of theHarry Potterseries.
Two Years After Launch, Rumored Hogwarts Legacy Update Is Just Too Little, Too Late
Hogwarts Legacy may get new content over two years since its release, but with a sequel in the works, adding more content could be entirely useless.
Fantastic Beastsmay also presenta solid reason whyHarry Potterproperties are afraid to leave Hogwarts behind. Aside from a few scant locations like Diagon Alley or the Ministry of Magic headquarters, theHarry Potterfranchise doesn’t have a lot of unique locations. Because wizards need to stay hidden from the non-wizarding world, stories told in this fictional universe are somewhat limited in where they can go.TheFantastic Beastsfranchise also showed some problems with straying from that rule.
It seemed somewhat clear that the franchise (or at least J. K. Rowling)didn’t know how to expand the Wizarding World beyond the scope of Hogwarts in a satisfying way.
At the end of the firstFantastic Beastsfilm, all of New York City needed a mind wipe just to explain how people didn’t know wizards existed (which was later sloppily retconned in the second film). The secondFantastic Beastsfilm also raised uncomfortable questions about wizards' responsibilities to the wider world when the film’s villain’s motivation was to stop World War 2. It seemed somewhat clear that the franchise (or at least J. K. Rowling)didn’t know how to expand the Wizarding World beyond the scope of Hogwarts in a satisfying way.
For Better Or Worse, Hogwarts Is Here To Stay
Hogwarts Is The Only Successful Setting For Harry Potter So Far
It seems likely that Hogwarts will remain the setting forHogwarts Legacy 2, especially given its possible release window. It was announced in November thatHogwarts Legacy 2would coordinate storylineswith the upcomingHarry PotterTV series, which is set to debut in 2026. IfHogwarts Legacy 2will be coming out around the same time, then it seems unlikely that Avalanche will be building an entirely new setting for the game.
10 Best Hogwarts Legacy Mods In The Official Mod Manager
Hogwarts Legacy added a lot of really great mods for players to go through, and there are 10 that really do a great job of making the game fun.
I’m of two minds about this. WhileFantastic Beastsshowed me the Wizarding World’s limitationsin telling stories outside a magic school, I would like to see a new setting for a game in this universe. I think the solution of setting aHarry Pottergame at a different wizarding schoolis perfect since it would be a similarly contained environment but still a change from always going to Hogwarts.
While it would be nice to seeHogwarts Legacy 2take place in a new setting, I don’t expect it to happen. If the series does stick with Hogwarts, I would at least like to see it add in some more life-sim elements to make the setting feel closer to how it did in the original series. That said, I wouldn’t be too disappointed if it were exactly like the first game, and then I could just not buy it.
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.
