Summary
Hogwarts Legacyis due a sequel based on its unfathomable sales and this is fortuitous for Avalanche since it has a lot it could improve in a follow-up to theHarry Potter-inspired action-RPG. More particularly, there are elements of each Hogwarts student’s experiences that didn’t make it into the game and will now hopefully be in aHogwarts Legacysequel, such as Gobstones or perhapsa trip to Diagon Alley. That said, playable Quidditch is undoubtedly the feature that has been most requested and it’ll be interesting to see if it makes the cut in a hypothetical upcoming game.
Hogwarts Legacyinfamously neglected to feature Quidditch as a mini-game, whether for a lack of trying or not. Avalanche didn’t try to sweep it under a rug, though, and knew it couldn’t if players can literally fly a broomstick or mount in-and-around Hogwarts’ Quidditch pitch. Instead,Hogwarts Legacywent to the effort to explicitly excuse the absence of Quidditch in its depicted school year and with such appreciated attention to detail it would have to do the same once more if a sequel decided to also forgo the magical sport.
Hogwarts Legacy’s Lack of Quidditch May Not Be as Easy to Stomach a Second Time
First of all,Avalanche doesn’t owe players a Quidditch mini-game. It was never stated thatHogwarts Legacywould feature playable Quidditch and, unless Avalanche says differently if or when a sequel is announced, nothing is suggesting that aHogwarts Legacy 2would feature Quidditch, either. Therefore, anyone disappointed that there wasn’t playable Quidditch inHogwarts Legacyneeded to have their expectations managed better.
But it’s also true that, as a fully immersive action-RPG,Hogwarts Legacywas always going to need to explain why Quidditch wasn’t on the table succinctly and it did so beautifully, carving out an interesting piece of lore as to why and connecting it toheadmaster Phineas Nigellus Black.
Unfortunately, because this excuse is so well-written and immersively implemented in the narrative, a sequel could have a difficult time attempting to sway players once again with more lore-centric rationale. Avalanche would once more need to have a character straightforwardly admit to Quidditch being canceled and if the excuse this time isn’t as immersive it could draw far more ire.Hogwarts Legacyprobably doesn’t want to commit to the idea of never adapting Quidditch as a mini-game, but knowing with certainty that it would never be a playable mini-game could be easier to accept and move on from rather than there being a glimmer of hope from game to game.
Hogwarts Legacy Needs to Either Double Down or Cave to What the Community Wants
How Avalanche handles fans’ expectations now will be a testament to how it intends to approach Quidditch henceforth. This could be a fun running gag ofHogwarts Legacy’s where Quidditch is somehow never allowed during the school years that players attend and reasons for why could get playfully sillier as installments go on.
It would become drab ifHogwarts Legacyalways needed to have a dramatic reason why, anyhow, and put expectations of a sequel receiving a Quidditch mini-game down lightly. Then, if players do ever get toattend the pitch for an actual Quidditch match, it’ll feel spontaneous and surprising rather than something Avalanche needed to cross off a checklist of features that would appease its fanbase.
Regardless, that’s a bridge Avalanche will inevitably have to cross if it is indeed developingaHogwarts Legacysequel. Otherwise, it could burn this particular bridge and confidently confess that it never plans to include Quidditch, which would potentially cleave away part of its playerbase but also make for appropriate presumptions about the game if true.
