Last year, Hogwarts Legacy from Warner Bros. and Portkey Studios was released. Despite its surrounding controversies, the game was a critical and commercial success. To many, it was the Hogwarts adventure that many fans dreamed about for years.
However, many fans wonder whether the game is canon to the Harry Potter saga. Across the web, fans are theorizing and trying to figure out if the game fits into the main canon or is just a spinoff. Here is the definitive answer to where Hogwarts Legacy fits within the Harry Potter canon and what that will mean.
Is Hogwarts Legacy Canon?
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The direct answer to whether or not Hogwarts Legacy is a canon entry in the Harry Potter universe is that it most likely is. The game is firmly situated within the lore of the movie universe based on the design of Hogwarts. Additionally, lore characters, such as the grandfather of Olivander, appear throughout the game. Even if Rowling didn’t write the game, it was planned to fit neatly within the timeline of Harry Potter. Again, the game was created to allow fans to explore this classic universe.
Furthermore, neither Warner Bros. nor Portkey confirmed that the game was set in an alternate timeline. Take the recent Dune: Awakening for a definitive example of such a game. The creative director himself confirmed that the game would be set in an alternate timeline without the rise of Paul Atreides. Such clarification is increasingly necessary in today’s pop culture landscape filled with multiversal crossovers.
The Game as Expanded Universe Material
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While the game may be canon, it is also expanded universe material. This story will likely remain self-contained because the main character is a customizable player creation, so they cannot be genuinely cemented into the canon. The game takes place in 1890, a century before the main series but within living memory of the Fantastic Beasts saga. As such, Hogwarts Legacy will likely remain a self-contained story within this fantasy saga.
Expanded universe material is vital to maintaining a large setting for virtually any major franchise. This allows franchise executives to branch out the story and continue through spinoffs. Video games provide a good opportunity for this due to the added layer of player agency and the ease with which they can easily integrate lore databases and environmental storytelling. Video games like Knights of the Old Republic are important to building massive franchises due to their possible depth.
Will We Hear the Story Again?
Overall, it is unlikely that we’ll return to this era of The Wizarding World anytime soon. As stated above, one of the difficulties of fitting video games into a proper timeline is player customization and choice. However, that doesn’t mean that other characters introduced in the game, such as Headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black, might be mentioned again. As with any fantasy saga, Harry Potter is no stranger to callbacks and easter eggs for eagle-eyed viewers.
One reason it’s unlikely is that the Fantastic Beasts saga ended due to the film’s poor performance and controversies surrounding Depp and Rowling. Furthermore, Warner Bros. announced long ago that they planned on rebooting the Harry Potter books for MAX in a new series that would bring in what was cut from the original films. Because of this, it’s uncertain whether or not the Wizarding World will last beyond this reboot. If we do get a sequel, again, it will most likely stay within its own niche in the timeline.
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