Hogwarts Legacy was a huge surprise to players when it was first released because no one quite expected the attention to detail and focus that had gone into crafting this Wizarding World experience. In the past, Harry Potter gaming had been largely focused on recreating the movies, without original narratives to follow or new characters to meet. This was, by and large, a financially motivated decision, with the games guaranteed to sell well due to their connections to the movies. But Hogwarts Legacy marked a significant shift in Warner Bros. Games’ way of thinking, with the focus placed on an AAA game that wasn’t beholden to any kind of adaptation. The sales speak for themselves, and it has emboldened Warner Bros. Games to continue going down this route.
Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions was yet another example of this experimentation in action, as the developers created a unique set of mechanics that were designed to replicate what it was really like to step onto, or rather fly onto, a Quidditch pitch. While this was far less successful than its predecessor and begged questions as to why this gaming system wasn’t simply brought into Hogwarts Legacy, it was again a promise from Warner Bros. Games that it was to begin taking this property seriously. That’s not to mention some of the apps and mobile games from Portkey Games, which have indicated that the studio is prepared to explore other platforms too. With all that in mind, Warner Bros. Games is now going through a major restructuring that should guide the next stage of the Wizarding World brand and the types of games that come from it.
Warner Bros. Just Put the Focus on Harry Potter Gaming
That Means So Much More Than Hogwarts Legacy 2
Warner Bros. Games has recently announced a complete shift in its strategy. In recent months, there have been various redundancies, canceled projects, and confirmed releases getting forgotten altogether. While the likes of Wonder Woman and Hogwarts Legacy Definitive Edition, combined with new DLC, have all been abandoned, there is some good news for those waiting for new IPs from the studio. Warner Bros. has decided to shift its resources into four key areas. Those are Mortal Kombat, DC Comics, Game of Thrones, and Harry Potter. Now the first two have already received phenomenal games, and so fans have come to expect a lot. And Game of Thrones is about to enter the conversation with Game of Thrones: War for Westeros.
But these announcements leave out some critical information. With this reorganization in mind, there must be other projects on the horizon that are yet to be confirmed. Wonder Woman’s cancellation must mean other DC Comics projects are in the works. And one Game of Thrones title isn’t enough to sustain the franchise’s future. The same can be said for Harry Potter. Although Hogwarts Legacy has essentially been confirmed, and there will surely be some small-scale titles debuting to help promote HBO’s TV reboot, there is potential here for Warner Bros. to expand past those initial offerings.
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In truth, Warner Bros. Games has essentially signposted the fact that there will be other Harry Potter titles in development, as new concepts are explored. The video game slate cannot simply survive off of Hogwarts Legacy sequels alone, after all, and the very premise of that series will likely reduce in its relevancy the more games that are released. That leaves Warner Bros. floundering, looking for other ways to interact with this property. With Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions proving to be a dud, that would also suggest that the studio is going to have to rethink, as that’s not a viable series moving forward, and other such sporting spin-offs probably won’t be able to garner much traction.
There’s a possibility that this changing scope could also come to impact TT Games’ LEGO titles and, while a new arrival will be coming to players in 2026, beyond that there may be a return to the worlds of DC Comics or Harry Potter, especially since the latter has only received a couple of titles across its history, thus far. Fans should expect some announcements in the coming years, as the studio begins to get an understanding of what it wants to produce moving forward. But there’s a whole area of the Wizarding World that the studio has failed before, which could produce a perfect premise for any of Warner Bros. Games’ future installments.
Fans Want To See More From the Wizarding World
Career Paths Have Been Largely Ignored So Far
The Harry Potter series, thus far, has all been about the students at Hogwarts. That makes complete sense, because that’s what the novels are focused on. The original Harry Potter games from the main run focused almost entirely on Harry and his friends, as they navigated their classwork, defeated Death Eaters, and survived fire-breathing beasts. The LEGO series followed much the same formula, albeit with a few comedic twists and many more playable characters.
Hogwarts Legacy produced a similar experience, but with players building their own students to quest through Hogwarts with. And Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions may have been sports-based, but it still put the students front and center, with very little in the way of narrative progression. But the franchise has the wide world outside of Hogwarts to explore and is simply failing to actually account for all of those new narrative opportunities.
Hogwarts Legacy gave a sneak peek at what lurks beyond the school grounds, with players interacting with NPCs from surrounding villages, getting a sense of what daily life might be like for anyone living in these unusual, fantastical circumstances. The Fantastic Beasts movies also indicated that Warner Bros. was intrigued to discover more of the Wizarding World, even focusing, somewhat, on what it means to be an author, searching for and studying magical creatures.
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In every case, though, the larger conflicts of the Wizarding World get in the way, with personal dramas, ancient magic, and the fate of all of humanity itself, ultimately proving to be the real purpose of these tales. But players often can’t help but still be intrigued by what it’s like to actually care for magical creatures, run a magical shop, or perhaps be an Auror, and defend Diagon Alley and beyond from dark threats. Again, games like Hogwarts Legacy tease these ideas. Players got up close and personal with many mystical beasts, were able to own their own shop, and even fought off sinister sorcerers in their spare time. But these elements are so often additional features rather than the key focus.
And so in future entries, Warner Bros. Games should finally depart from the traditional tropes and traits of the Harry Potter series, base a game outside of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry entirely, and zone in on a completely different aspect of the Wizarding World. That doesn’t just mean moving to a different location, like the Durmstrang Institute or Knockturn Alley. It also means exploring new gameplay styles and encouraging developers to explore what it really means to live and work in the Wizarding World. That could result in a few exciting new genres suddenly impacting Warner Bros. Games’ slate.
Future Harry Potter Games Should Expand On Wizarding Jobs
From Owning a Shop To Becoming an Auror, Fans Want To Inhabit This Universe
For real inspiration, it’s a good idea to turn to the competition to get a sense of how this might be applied. For starters, fans should look at what Tales of the Shire is attempting to do, as a slice-of-life affair set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. There, players will be gardening, designing their cottage, and navigating through Hobbit life in a quaint tale. And then there’s sim games, like Zoo Tycoon, that actually encompass the pressures and challenges of being a zookeeper for the first time.
From Pokémon Café ReMix to Papers Please, there are tons of inspirational games out there, with very different styles and mechanics, that offer an experience within a specific type of role. So, why can’t there be an AAA game set in the Ministry of Magic that tasks players with hunting down criminals and solving mystical mysteries?
Why couldn’t a sim-style title be developed that sees a player create their own Hogsmeade shop from scratch and attempt to survive amid a series of financial and magical challenges? Or why shouldn’t there be a completely new concept brought to the table, based on any of the other jobs and roles that fans have only briefly seen in the Wizarding World? There must be an interesting story to tell around some of those authors who have come to populate Hogwarts’ library after all.
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Hogwarts Legacy was a massive breakthrough for Warner Bros. Games in finally showcasing that the studio is prepared to do something completely different with the Harry Potter property, which departs drastically from what the novels or movies have done. The sequel will surely continue on that trend.
Now that the studio has begun down this path, and with a desire to produce new series in the coming years, there is an opportunity here to continue experimenting and ultimately making the most of the Wizarding World itself. Fans who have read the books and watched the films have always imagined themselves in this fantasy land. Attending Hogwarts has been one part of that fantasy, but what else is there to experience?
Hogwarts Legacy
Systems
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. Interactive
Engine
Unreal Engine 4