Hogwarts Legacy’s Sequel Should Take More Creative…

Summary

The release of Hogwarts Legacy has proven the untapped potential of the Harry Potter license in the gaming world, with massive commercial success and positive reviews.
The success of the first game has created a high demand for a sequel, giving the studio an opportunity to explore new ideas and expand on the Harry Potter world.
While Hogwarts Legacy played it safe by relying on existing elements, the sequel has the chance to up the stakes, refine gameplay, and add more emotional storytelling to create a truly unique experience for fans.

The Harry Potter license has been woefully underused in gaming, as prior to the release of Hogwarts Legacy its potential hadn't been fully realized. While there's some room for improvement, the effort of developer Avalanche Software has paid dividends, as the title has amassed huge commercial sales to go with its strong critical reception.

Now that Hogwarts Legacy is out in the wild and continuing to do well, there's an ever-increasing demand for a sequel, something that seems very likely given how people responded to the first outing. That next step has to be taken with care, but the studio at the helm still has the opportunity to bring in new ideas, as Avalanche could really add to the Harry Potter world as well as just the gaming series itself.

Hogwarts Legacy Had to Play it Safe

There have been a string of sub-par Harry Potter titles in recent years, and a few that were worthy of praise. The film tie-in offerings waned over time, and the IP was propped up in the gaming space by the LEGO games that did well to replicate the story of the films in a way that injected the charm that the LEGO license brings. Still, no game before Hogwarts Legacy had the staying power to remain in the minds of players this long after launch, and the quality of the end result has ensured that fans are eager for more.

Since launching in February on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S, Hogwarts Legacy has become the highest selling game of the year, shifting over 15 million copies as of September.

However, because Hogwarts Legacy was breaking new ground and was fueled by ambition to see the Harry Potter property's potential finally materialize in gaming, it had to rely on existing elements to make fans happy. Avalanche, rightfully, played it safe to make sure it satisfied as wide an audience as possible, but now that the series is established and the first game has shown Avalanche's ability to contribute to Harry Potter's lore rather than merely draw inspiration from it (or worse, detract from it), the studio has earned the right to truly make its mark on the license. Easter eggs and subtle references to the stories that came before are always amusing and smile-inducing, but Hogwarts Legacy's time period means it's in prime position to implement new friends, enemies, myths, and mysteries that weren't previously known to Potter fans.

Hogwarts Legacy's Sequel Has to Up the Stakes

hogwarts legacy features sequel quidditch gobstones wizard's chess — Image from *Hogwarts Legacy*.

As with any sequel, Hogwarts Legacy's follow-up now has the added pressure of improving on what came before. The developer was previously known for the Disney Infinity series, which wasn't without merit, but the scope of its Harry Potter title is far larger, so succeeding it with something better will be the Salt Lake City-based outfit's biggest venture to date. The gameplay could be refined, the spells found in Hogwarts Legacy could be added to, and the story could be given more emotional moments instead of a somewhat basic 'defeat the evil usurper' story line.

Avalanche Software's previous works include Disney Infinity, Toy Story 3, and Hannah Montana: Spotlight World Tour.

To do this, new curiosities could be implemented to make casual fans aware that the developer is looking to broaden the series' horizons, and fans of the first game or the IP as a whole will find things that they don't know anything about, keeping them on their toes. The magic of Harry Potter is that anything is possible, and the unexpected should be expected seeing as there are flying broomsticks, an abundance of spells, and classes that are thoroughly out of the ordinary. Avalanche Software has done well to replicate the charm of the series, but now that it has proven itself capable, the logical next step is to flex its creative muscles and bring something truly new to the property.

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Harry Potter: Hogwarts Legacy Tag Page Cover Art

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OpenCritic Reviews: Top Critic Avg: 84 /100 Critics Rec: 88%

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Released: February 10, 2023
ESRB: T For Teen Due To Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Use of Alcohol
Developer(s): Avalanche Software
Publisher(s): Warner Bros. Games
Engine: Unreal Engine 4
Cross-Platform Play: Hogwarts Legacy doesn't have crossplay or crossplatform support
Cross Save: you can freely use your saved data between each console as long as you are connected to the internet and signed into the same account where the saved data was created