Unlike the majority of other Harry Potter games, Hogwarts Legacy broke new ground by exploring the history of its titular school of witchcraft and wizardry, but any future follow-ups shouldn't limit themselves to the series' past and its delicate canon. Since both the books and their respective film adaptations have reached the closing chapter, much of the new content being brought into the world of Harry Potter has been set within its past bar Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. While it's likely the multimedia franchise doesn't want to sour the books' happily-ever-after ending, Hogwarts Legacy's future shouldn't be relegated to history.
However, constantly revisiting the past events of Harry Potter and its history is only going to limit the potential for its storytelling, and the series' games could suffer most from this. Any decent open-world RPG needs to be full to bursting with things for the player to do, discover, and learn as they find their way through the game, which means any future Hogwarts Legacy games will need the creative freedom to expand. Should Hogwarts remain the games' backdrop, then it would be best served to return to a more contemporary time period to avoid overlapping with characters' parents from Voldemort to Harry, historical events, and more.
Hogwarts Legacy Would Be Stuck Reliving the Past
Since Harry Potter takes place within a fictional parallel of the real world, the timeline of magic has to negotiate with actual history, meaning any new stories set within the past face an uphill struggle. But the series has already established an extensive canonical history at this point thanks to not just the books but the various spin-off additions, such as Quidditch Through the Ages or The Tales of Beedle the Bard. As the franchise has endeavored to maintain its continuity, Hogwarts Legacy managed to balance Harry Potter's history with its own new stories, events, and characters.
But if Hogwarts Legacy is to be the first of more Harry Potter games not based directly on the books, then these will have limited potential if they're to also be set within its history. After all, the closer to the present day these games get, the more they will encroach on already-established events and characters in Harry Potter such as the Marauders, Tom Riddle, or Dumbledore. Not only will this impose certain boundaries on what stories these games could tell, but it will detract from the effect these stories could have. In short, players' foreknowledge removes the stakes from storytelling thanks to plot armor and predetermined narratives.
A Modern-Day Hogwarts Legacy Sequel Has Potential
Set beyond the books themselves, a future Hogwarts Legacy game could be set after the book series concluded, exploring a post-Voldemort world that is no longer gripped by fear of the dark lord and is free to finally thrive. It's possible that the franchise has kept its distance so that it doesn't undo the happy ending its titular character and his friends received, but it could also be down to uncertainty about creating a new lead to pick up the series' mantle. While this might be an obstacle for novels or movies, a Harry Potter RPG sidesteps any issues by letting the player be their own protagonist.
Additionally, with Voldemort gone, a Hogwarts Legacy sequel could guide the Wizarding World's future with not just a player protagonist but with an all-new antagonist too. This would also be the ideal opportunity to establish villains who aren't so one-dimensional, with new stories exploring potential motivations beyond world domination. For example, just as Harry Potter incorporates the history of witch trials into the secrecy of the wizarding world, a human villain could be motivated to use modern-day technology to eradicate all magical life with muggle students acting as sleeper agents inside Hogwarts.
In fact, due to the anachronistic nature of a book series first published in the late 90s with a year-by-year timeline, a Hogwarts Legacy sequel could capitalize on this missed opportunity the series has been forced to avoid. Pottermore does actually address the absence of technology, particularly for things like smartphones or the internet, by excusing it as trivial compared to the wonders of magic and that electronic devices don't work on Hogwarts grounds. But besides seeding the villain's motivations due to the implied condescension towards muggle technology, there's so much more to gain by hybridizing the two worlds.
By bringing both together, Hogwarts Legacy could offer so much more than the usual magical gameplay experience, as real-life technology could be introduced to enrich the world and its stories. One example of this would be a social media counterpart that lets Hogwarts' students connect as both players or NPCs, deepening Hogwart Legacy's lore, characters' backstories, and even new quests. It would even factor in Harry Potter's own print media such as The Daily Prophet or The Quibbler, as these too could transition online to evolve with the changing times, all of which might be akin to the dark web as only accessible to magic users.
Harry Potter's Stuck Between The Future and The Past
But such speculation about a return to Harry Potter's modern-day setting might be getting ahead of itself, and it might be why any follow-up to Hogwarts Legacy might also be set within the series' past. Beyond possible indecision about where to take an adult Harry and company next isn't the only concern facing the franchise, as any future book, movie, game, or otherwise would be under intense scrutiny. So by not wanting to trap itself with new canon that fans dislike, new Harry Potter content revisits its own history so that it isn't likely to jeopardize the series overall if it flops.
However, this doesn't necessarily have to be a detriment for future Hogwarts Legacy games, as there is still time left until it catches up with the present day. While it would introduce certain limitations on the game, giving fans of Harry Potter a chance to see characters like Dumbledore, Tom Riddle, and many others as Hogwarts students could offer new insight into their backstories. Alternatively, a Hogwarts Legacy sequel could explore darker stories in the series if set alongside real-world events like WWI and WWII, showcasing students' perspectives and experiences as children during muggle wartime.
Hogwarts Legacy is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with a Switch release scheduled for November 14, 2023.
