Summary
TheHarry Potterlicense has been woefully underused in gaming, as prior to the release ofHogwarts Legacyits potential hadn’t been fully realized. While there’s some room for improvement, the effort ofdeveloper Avalanche Softwarehas paid dividends, as the title has amassed huge commercial sales to go with its strong critical reception.
Now thatHogwarts Legacyis 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 theHarry Potterworld as well as just the gaming series itself.
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There have been a string of sub-parHarry Pottertitles 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 theLEGOgamesthat did well to replicate the story of the films in a way that injected the charm that theLEGOlicense brings. Still, no game beforeHogwarts Legacyhad 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 Legacyhas become the highest selling game of the year, shifting over 15 million copies as of September.
However, becauseHogwarts Legacywas breaking new ground and was fueled by ambition to see theHarry Potterproperty’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 toHarry Potter’s lorerather 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, butHogwarts Legacy’s time period means it’s in prime position to implement new friends, enemies, myths, and mysteries that weren’t previously known toPotterfans.
Hogwarts Legacy’s Sequel Has to Up the Stakes
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 theDisney Infinityseries, which wasn’t without merit, but the scope of itsHarry Pottertitle 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, thespells found inHogwarts Legacycould 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 includeDisney Infinity,Toy Story 3, andHannah 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 ofHarry Potteris 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.
