One of the main reasons behind the success of the recently released Hogwarts Legacy is the huge amount of iconic locations from the wider Harry Potter franchise that the title conveys in such thorough detail. Not just being limited to the magical school of Hogwarts, the game smartly does not shy away from exploring more unique but deeply recognizable places of interest.
Undoubtedly, the sinister prison of Azkaban is one of the most recognizable of these locations within Hogwarts Legacy, and was arguably one of the most anticipated possible locations for the game prior to its launch. While it is possible to explore Azkaban prison in detail in the game, many fans may be curious as to the wider lore and history of the facility beyond what's shown in Hogwarts Legacy.
Azkaban Prison in Hogwarts Legacy
Interestingly, despite the popularity of Azkaban as a location within the wider Harry Potter IP, the prison is only available for in-game exploration to those who were sorted into house Hufflepuff in Hogwarts Legacy. This is due to the fact that access to Azkaban is only granted via the house-specific quest for Hufflepuff, which players will be able to experience fairly early on in their playthroughs.
This quest sees Hogwarts Legacy players travel to Azkaban prison in search of an individual who has allegedly been wrongly imprisoned, subsequently encountering the likes of hostile Dementors and unpredictable inmates. Given how this single quest is the only time in which players can visit and explore Azkaban, it can be said that Hogwarts Legacy offers a fairly linear brief glimpse into a location that is steeped in history and franchise lore.
The Lore and Backstory of Azkaban Prison
Azkaban is an ancient fortress within Harry Potter's wizarding world, first being built in the 15th century and being used for incarceration purposes as early as the 1700s. As the primary prison for majorly offending British witches and wizards, Azkaban is an imposing and sinister facility located on a remote and mysterious island within the North Sea.
For most of its existence, Azkaban was sadistically guarded by Dark magic creatures known as Dementors, who notoriously feed off of human happiness. The already tormented prisoner population of Azkaban was often driven to madness by these guards, who were even capable of absorbing an individual's soul. While the use of Dementor guards was eventually phased out within Azkaban, the sinister legacy of the facility and the island persists, and even predates the usage of the island as a prison.
Originally, the island was inhabited by a dark wizard called Ekrizdis, who lived alone in the uncharted location, extensively practicing nefarious dark magic. Ekrizdis used his dark strength to attract non-magical sailors and travelers to the island, whereupon the wizard would horrifically torture and kill these unfortunate victims. The island lay dormant for some time following the death of the dark wizard, eventually being found by official magical bodies and thus being designated as Azkaban prison.
Given the deeply sinister early backstory of the island, combined with the long reign of sadistic Dementor guards that would take pleasure in tormenting prisoners, it is clear to see why Azkaban has such an unprecedented and uncomfortable legacy. While Azkaban's brief appearance in Hogwarts Legacy is done in a faithful and engaging way, the in-depth history of the location is needed to fully appreciate the gravity and prepense of the location.
Hogwarts Legacy is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. PS4 and Xbox One ports are scheduled to release on April 4. The Nintendo Switch version is arriving on July 25, 2023.
