Why Hogwarts Legacy 2 Needs To Leave Hogwarts

As the world anticipates the next installment of Hogwarts Legacy and the Harry Potter series enters a new chapter, it’s clear that the sequel needs to move beyond its titular setting. What began as a humble story about The Boy Who Lived has expanded into an entire mythos. With students and dark sorcerers, fantastic beasts, and flights of fancy, the Wizarding World has grown far beyond the saga of Harry Potter. Now, with the Wizarding World’s fate in the hands of the fans and players uncertain about where their adventures will take them next, who’s to say that Hogwarts Legacy 2 has to be a return to Hogwarts? After all, legacies don’t stagnate — they grow, evolve, and become legends.

Inspired by the beloved Harry Potter novels and the movies that helped popularize them, Hogwarts Legacy is an action-adventure roleplaying game that allows players to immerse themselves in the Wizarding school’s mysterious history. Set during the events of a Goblin rebellion, players navigate the halls of Hogwarts, make friends, defeat enemies, attend classes, and embark on their own odyssey a century before the events of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Winning multiple accolades and the distinguished honor of being the best-selling game of the year in 2023, a sequel became inevitable. As aspiring witches and wizards await confirmation of Hogwarts Legacy 2 from developer Portkey Games, it leaves them wondering what the next title will bring.

Why Hogwarts Legacy Needs To Grow Beyond Hogwarts

The first Harry Potter video game was 2001's adaptation of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which saw release on multiple consoles.

Even with settings like Diagon Alley, the Ministry of Magic, and Newt Scamander’s sanctuary inside his suitcase, Hogwarts remains the most iconic location in Harry Potter mythology. As the main setting for the original novels, theme parks, and various Harry Potter video games, it made sense for Hogwarts Legacy to center around the castle.

However, history shows Hogwarts has become a crutch for Wizarding World storytelling. The more the series relies on the school, the more it needs to distinguish itself to escape its shadow. As an open-world game, players want to explore what lies beyond. While Hogwarts Legacy offers an impressive map with plenty of quests and secrets, it raises the question of whether these are grounds that audiences want to retread.

Having wandered the halls of Hogwarts so many times, the map is as familiar to them as a lifeline is to Professor Trelawney. Players know the classrooms, the common rooms, and other settings that will play key roles in Harry Potter’s adventures a century after Hogwarts Legacy takes place. Although the castle contains over a thousand years of history, secret rooms, and lore, players have already explored Harry Potter’s alma mater since 2001.

Whether in Hogwarts Legacy or within countless other movie tie-in titles, mobile apps, or Wizarding World gaming experiences, the question arises: how many times can gamers return to Hogwarts before its stone walls begin to lose their luster? While there are undoubtedly more stories to tell, confining the games to Hogwarts and Hogsmeade makes the wide Wizarding World feel much smaller.

The Appeal of New Magical Locations

The adventures of Magizoologist Newt Scamander, although loosely adapted from the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, provided a different vantage point within the Wizarding World. The first Fantastic Beasts film focused on the animals and the larger wizarding world as its New York setting offered a refreshing distance from Hogwarts. New villains like the New Salem Philanthropic Society gave audiences something different after Harry’s defeat of Voldemort.

Although the films declined in quality as they continued, the best aspects of Fantastic Beasts were when they took audiences to new magical locations, explored new cultures, and escaped Harry Potter’s looming presence. While Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, and Gellert Grindelwald began to overshadow Newt’s journey, Fantastic Beasts understood that it couldn’t keep audiences at Hogwarts forever.

There is an entire world out there, and audiences are curious about what it is like beyond a few nebulous allusions from Pottermore, Quidditch Through the Ages, and the in-universe textbook the Fantastic Beasts series drew its inspiration from. Hogwarts Legacy gave audiences the traditional setting they always wanted, but now it’s time to take things overseas.

Why Ilvermorny Is Hogwarts Legacy 2's Perfect Setting

When reflecting on Ilvermorny and Salazar Slytherin's legacy, J.K. Rowling commented: "The very best of him seemed to have migrated to America."

Outside of Hogwarts, many fascinating and exotic locations could serve as the setting for the next game. Among the 11 major Wizarding academies globally confirmed by J.K. Rowling, America’s Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry stands out as the perfect setting for a game after Hogwarts Legacy. Introduced in 2016 just before the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film, Pottermore detailed Ilvermorny’s rich history and unique lore, offering new insight into the American Wizarding World.

By setting the sequel at Ilvermorny, the game can explore different aspects of magical culture, providing players with fresh perspectives and adventures. Above all else, delving into Ilvermorny’s secrets is an ideal way to honor the name Hogwarts Legacy while giving it an entirely new meaning.

While America may feel worlds apart from the UK, Ilvermorny shares a fascinating history with Hogwarts. Founded by witch Isolt Sayre, a descendant of Hogwarts founder Salazar Slytherin and, by extension, related to Lord Voldemort, Ilvermorny has fascinating connections to the original school. Sayre, who never attended Hogwarts due to her adoptive aunt's prejudices, established the first Wizarding school in the New World, inspired by stories of the castle.

After defending Ilvermorny from her wicked aunt and burying the legendary wand of the infamous Hogwarts founder beneath it, Isolt’s family roots run deep — literally — as a magical tree now grows from where she buried the relic. With its strong ties to Hogwarts and the novelty of exploring how it influenced the American Wizarding community, Ilvermorny offers the perfect continuation of the previous game while providing room for new growth and adventure.

While Ilvermorny has been alluded to and expanded upon in entries on Pottermore, an adventure has yet to be set there. With only glimpses of the school, a general idea of its traditions, and an extensive backstory, there’s plenty to play with in its almost 400-year history. Additionally, while Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them set up some interesting lore with MACUSA, the New Salem Philanthropic Society, and the Scourer mercenaries, these elements were underutilized or neglected as the movies progressed.

After fighting Hogwarts Legacy’s goblins and other typical Harry Potter fare, there’s an incredible story that can be told with these villains. Meanwhile, the concept of America’s unique school curriculum and traditions forged by Sayre, the indigenous peoples, and the local Pukwudgie communities, could provide the cultural exploration needed to give the game its own identity while carrying on the storytelling, game mechanics, and appeal of the first Hogwarts Legacy.

It's Time To Explore The Wider Wizarding World Again

The video game Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup featured many Wizarding World locations, including America, Japan, and Australia.

Hogwarts Legacy has already mentioned schools like Uagadou and Mahoutokoro, highlighting a larger problem: Harry Potter's lore is filled with incredible settings, but audiences don’t know much about them. As an adventure game, Hogwarts Legacy allowed gamers to explore the series like never before, immersing them in the Wizarding World and its spellbinding history.

It makes sense for the series to take people to different shores and tell the stories the Harry Potter saga couldn’t, finally bringing the articles and allusions to life. This approach not only builds upon the mythology but also keeps the franchise fresh and engaging for both new and longtime fans.

Harry Potter's story has concluded, and Hogwarts Legacy allowed players to craft their own. However, every student must leave home at some point to explore the world and experience its many wonders and challenges. Different cultures, lands, and adventures remind players that the world is much bigger than they sometimes realize.

The Harry Potter series acknowledges that it's okay and sometimes necessary, to travel to new places and face them with courage, loyalty, ambition, and wisdom. But when those travels end, and old chapters close, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome fans home.