There had been rumblings of a grand RPG set in the Wizarding World for a while and when Hogwarts Legacy finally hit shelves in early 2023, it became everything that a lot of fans were asking for. Players got to explore Hogwarts in all of its glory, getting a look at all four Common Rooms, not just Gryffindor's, as was the case with many tie-in games 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 the full weight of the Harry Potter IP behind it, a sequel was always bound to happen. The fact that a sequel is being made is not surprising, but the news that it will be tied in with the HBO series, which is going to adapt the book series yet again, came as a surprise. It makes sense from a marketing standpoint; however, Hogwarts Legacy is known to be in a time period untouched by prior projects, being set in 1890.

Hogwarts Legacy 2 Shouldn’t Be A Retread

There Are Plenty Of Other Places The Game Can Take Players

There will always be some form of retreading with the Harry Potter series, since the books and films have been so iconic, and if the sequel is titled Hogwarts Legacy 2, it is reasonable that Hogwarts Castle will be visited again. Still, this doesn't mean that the games should take players back to the 90s, when the events of the Harry Potter book series take place. Even going beyond the 90s could step on the toes of The Cursed Child theater production, which begins in the late 2010s and ends in 2020/21.

Harry Potter and The Cursed Child first premiered on July 30, 2016.

Even a game set in modern times would retread content that has already been seen, and with the book series being adapted into a film series, tie-in games, and now a new Harry Potter HBO show, it doesn't feel like the right choice to link Hogwarts Legacy 2 to these events. The world is already well aware of the events of Harry Potter and has arguably had the itch of exploring Hogwarts as they know it scratched with the first Hogwarts Legacy game. If Hogwarts is to be revisited, it would be better to show it in a way never before seen.

With Hogwarts Legacy taking place in 1890, the Hogwarts seen in the game isn't quite the same as the castle seen in the films, but for the most part, a lot is familiar. Many of the environments are basically the same a hundred years later, such as the Gryffindor Common Room and the uniform of the students, and it is close enough to what everyone knows. Giving players a Hogwarts that is so different could be the appeal of the sequel, and there is the perfect era in the Wizarding World for this.

The Founding Of Hogwarts Would Be A Cool Setting

It Has Often Been Mentioned But Never Visited

One of the eras in the Wizarding World that gets mentioned a fair amount in the Harry Potter series, but has never been visited before, is the Founding of Hogwarts in the 10th century. It gets mentioned a fair amount in The Chamber of Secrets, with the founders of Hogwarts all being named. Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin will all be present in this time period, names that fans of the series know well but haven't properly met outside their portraits around the castle.

While there isn't a great deal known about these wizards, their conflict is well known, with Salazar Slytherin getting into arguments with Godric Gryffindor. This conflict occurred due to a disagreement over whether Hogwarts should let non-Pure-Blood students in and could provide the foundations for Hogwarts Legacy 2's plot. This could be quite a dark topic to explore in the modern day, given that it is essentially racism, but the Wizarding World is known to cover dark topics like the slavery of the House Elves.

Dobby is the most famous of the House Elves, and worked in Hogwart's Kitchens after gaining his freedom.

A Hogwarts Legacy sequel would technically be a prequel if it was to take place around the time of the Founding of Hogwarts, and it would be interesting if the player character was one of the first students to ever enroll. Seeing early Hogwarts tinker with concepts that would later become key features of the school, like the founders figuring out what subjects wizards and witches should know, would make the time period an interesting one. The developer would certainly have freedom to experiment with an era this far back in the timeline.

How A New Era Could Make Hogwarts Legacy 2 Special

It Could Make The History Of The Wizarding World Richer

The 10th century is so far in the past compared to the Harry Potter book series that the developers would be able to experiment with the IP a lot. Yes, Hogwarts would be a different place compared to the one that everyone knows, but magic itself could be quite different as well. With it being in the 10th century, magic could be more druidic or ritual based, and there could be an added rawness to spells that gets better refined by generations of magic s.

The Ministry of Magic hadn't even been founded at this point and the Wizarding World could be so different that the world building done by the game could be almost anything that the developer wants. The areas around Hogwarts itself will be more wild, with the Founders of Hogwarts needing to make pacts with the ancient denizens of the Great Lake and the Forbidden Forest to keep their students relatively safe. The growing pains of founding Hogwarts would provide plenty of combat situations for an exploring student.

Ultimately, it feels like an odd strategy trying to link Hogwarts Legacy's sequel to the HBO series, given that there is so much that has yet to be explored in the Wizarding World. The Wizarding World has to become more than just Harry Potter and the failure of the Fantastic Beasts series means that the gaming scene is probably the best place to experiment. It feels like the Hogwarts Legacy series could be what Knights of the Old Republic was for Star Wars if handled correctly by Avalanche Software.

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 for trans rights and that trans identities are valid. services are listed below for trans people impacted by discussions of transphobia.

In the USA:

• Trans Lifeline : (877) 565-8860
• The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386

In Canada:

• Trans Lifeline : (877) 330-6366
• Youth Line : 1-800-268-9688

In the UK:

• Switchboard : 01273 204050
• Mermaids : 0808 801 0400