Hogwarts Legacyrides the finest line imaginable when it comes to nostalgia and authenticity in its action-RPG storytelling. On the one hand,Hogwarts Legacyis a Hogwarts student simulator where players attend classes, roam the Scottish Highlands, and explore Hogsmeade to their hearts’ content—albeit in a late-1800s-era atmosphere and aesthetic. On the other hand,Hogwarts Legacytells a story with so much originality that it seems like it could’ve been plucked and placed into any other whimsical, magical fantasy tale. Thus, it is this marriage that casts Revelio and unveils the potential the franchise has in future entries.
It is unknown whether a follow-up toHogwarts Legacywould be a direct sequel taking place in the late 1800s or a sequel/successor that decides to apparate elsewhere along the timeline. Of course, withHarry Potter’s upcoming HBO adaptation in the works, it would make a lot of sense if future wizarding world games were to hop on that bandwagon and adapt its stories. Part of what madeHogwarts Legacyso brilliant, though, was its conscious withdrawal from The Boy Who Lived. As a compromise, perhapsHogwarts Legacy’s sequel could be the foundation from which the HBO show springs forth and behave as a loose prequel to it.
Hogwarts Legacy’s ‘Legacy’ May Be to End Up Where Harry Potter Begins
It may be natural to already perceiveHogwarts Legacyas aHarry Potterprequelsimply based on the fact that it takes place before the novel and theatrical franchises’ events occur.Hogwarts Legacyconcerns itself with Ancient Magic almost exclusively and takes place so long beforeHarry Potterthat it would be difficult to intertwine the two more unapologetically, and yet it doesn’t shy away from familiar surnames or lore that was established centuries later.
For instance, players get to witnessSalazar Slytherin’s humble plans for what would eventually be known as the Chamber of Secretswhile names such as Weasley or Black depict ancestors of characters who are more popularly known inHarry Potter. Therefore, a sequel could inch itself closer to the era when Tom Riddle was enrolled at Hogwarts and portray how he ominously and discreetly began his journey to becoming a dark lord via the protagonist’s perspective.
Due to how poor the reception to theFantastic Beastsmovies has been, it wouldn’t be surprising if future wizarding world movies, novels, or games collectively elect to ignore them.
Hogwarts Legacy’s Sequel Could Have a ‘Terrible… But Great’ Companion Character
IfHogwarts Legacy’s sequel was revealed and explained that it took place around the same time that Tom would’ve been a student, it would be nearly impossible to deny or avoid that he’d be a relevant character. The best the sequel could do in this case is not state anything about him and allow players to stumble across him as if he was any ordinary classmate NPC.
What could be even more thrilling is if players interacted with Tom as a companion character with his own questline, not unlikeSlytherin’s Sebastian Sallow inHogwarts Legacy. Players obviously wouldn’t be able to make dialogue choices that affect the course of Tom’s storyline, but neither could they affect the course Sebastian’s storyline takes and it’d still be exciting to see it play out as a peer of Tom’s.
Assuming that theHarry Pottershow is following the original story fairly closely,Hogwarts Legacy’s sequel would then act as a neat preface to it for anyone inclined to take that deep dive with a game. In many ways, too, this would make HBO’s show not only an adaptation of the books but ofHogwarts Legacy’s lore. Only time will tell now ifHogwarts Legacy’s wizarding world successor is set anywhere closer to whenHarry Pottertakes place, much less if it aims to be an appetizer to the upcomingHarry Potterseries’ main course at all.
