After theFantastic Beastsmovies failed to make an impact at the box office, it seemed like the Wizarding World franchise was dead. WhileHarry Potterwas still as popular as ever, any attempt at expanding the series fell flat. Fans were just not excited about the future thatWarner Bros. had planned for theHarry Potterseries, but that all seems to have changed withHogwarts Legacy. This brand-new magical adventure has exploded onto the gaming scene and paved the way for even more projects like it.
Hogwarts Legacyis set before the events ofHarry Potter, but unlikeFantastic Beasts, it knows what drew fans to the series, to begin with. It tells a simple story about a student at Hogwarts battling evil and learning all there is to know about the world. It has truly been a treat for fans of the franchise. If the success ofHogwarts Legacyshowed anything it is that fans are clamoring for new magical experiences in this world, and not everything has to be tied down by what came before.
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Hogwarts Legacy Reinvigorated the Wizarding World Franchise
After the end of theHarry Potterfilm series, Warner Bros. quickly got to workexpanding the franchise with theFantastic Beastsprequels. The story was going to be more mature, set in different parts of the world, and explore the Wizarding World’s rich backstory. WhileFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Themshowed promise, the other two movies failed to make an impact.Fantastic Beasts and the Secrets of Dumbledorestruggled to make $400 million at the box office, causing the fourth and fifth films to be unceremoniously canceled.
It seemed likeHarry Potterfans had no interest in the type of story that Warner Bros. wanted to tell, especially since the series did not quite know what it wanted to be. What was once one of the biggest film franchises around seemed to burn all of its goodwillafter threeFantastic Beastsfilms, and the studio was forced to go back to the drawing board. However,Hogwarts Legacyseems to have saved the day.
Hogwarts Legacyfinally brought players to the Wizarding World and told a new story set at Hogwarts in the 1890s. Avalanche Software crafted anopen-world Hogwarts and Hogsmeadethat felt ripped straight from the pages ofHarry Potter, and told its own original tale set within the universe. Based on the sales numbers, it seems to have hit all the right notes for franchise fans. It feels like the Wizarding World is back, and all it took was a project disconnected from the franchise’s canon.
The game is one of the first pieces of Wizarding World content that J.K. Rowling was not involved with, and that means thatHogwarts Legacyis technically not canonto the rest of the franchise. Players also take control of their own original character, and the powerful ancient magic that they can interact with is not really that important to theHarry Potterstory. Avalanche Software took theHarry Potterfranchise and did its own thing with it, and that has worked out really well.
Hogwarts Legacyhas reimaginedHarry Potterloreand helped reinvigorate the entire Wizarding World in the process. Even if it is not canon to the rest of the series, it is a fantastic experience for fans. It was a game created by fans for fans, and every corner of its world feels like it was crafted with loving detail. It is unlike any Wizarding World content that has come before, and it should inspire everything that comes after.
While theFantastic Beaststrilogy failed to capture the essence of the franchise, the non-canonHogwarts Legacyhas helped redefine the series. Fans want new original tales in J.K. Rowling’s world, and they want those stories to feel magical.Hogwarts Legacyhas shown Warner Bros. just what that should look like, and hopefully more projects follow its lead.
Hogwarts Legacyis available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, with PS4 and Xbox One versions launching May 5 and a Switch port releasing July 25.
