Warner Bros seems to have confirmed that Hogwarts Legacy 2 will have some sort of narrative connection to the Harry Potter TV show, but how in the Wizarding World would that work?

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The future of the Harry Potter franchise has been teased in a detailed new article from Variety, with numerous Warner Bros execs offering tidbits of information.

The article notes that Hogwarts Legacy was the best-selling game of 2023, and has now sold 30 million units. Working on a sequel is mentioned to be "a very big priority" for Warner Bros.

A big multimedia plan for Harry Potter is now rolling out across TV, merch, gaming, theme parks and other touch-points, with the success of Hogwarts Legacy helping to inspire this new round of investment in the brand.

The Variety article, penned by Jennifer Maas and KJ Yossman, suggests that Hogwarts Legacy 2 will have some connective tissue to the HBO series, a TV event that will see a rebooted cast take on the roles of Harry, Ron and Hermione to retell the tales from the original books.

The article states in no uncertain terms: "Haddad says the games team has been coordinating some of the big-picture storytelling elements in the Hogwarts Legacy sequel with the storylines that will play out in the Harry Potter HBO series coming from Warner Bros Television."

But what could that mean? With the first Hogwarts Legacy game being set in 1890, and the original books being set in the 1990s, points of connection may not be immediately obvious.

Let's give The Sorting Hat a rest for a moment and put on The Speculation Hat instead.

How will Hogwarts Legacy 2 connect to the Harry Potter TV show?

Professor Black in Hogwarts Legacy holding a finger aloft
Professor Black in Hogwarts Legacy. Warner Bros Games

As an avid enjoyer of the Harry Potter books and movies, and a gaming journalist that sunk a lot of hours into Hogwarts Legacy, I see three main areas in which Hogwarts Legacy 2 and the HBO series could connect: people, places and things.

The first game told a fairly self-contained story about goblins rebelling, ancient magic and professors from the past. But it did have some Easter eggs connecting it to familiar Harry Potter lore.

Players of the first game will remember Professor Weasley and Professor Black, who are ancestors to Ron and Sirius respectively. There was also Ominis Gaunt, a student who sits in the same lineage as both Salazar Slytherin and Tom Riddle (AKA Lord Voldemort).

There was also a memorable segment involving the Deathly Hallows, which swapped into a hand-drawn visual style reminiscent of the famous animated segment from the first Death Hallows film.

That's not to mention Hogwarts and its grounds, which were created in stunning detail in the first game, with lots of locations that fans of the books/films could recognise.

So, how could Warner Bros Games push these connections to the next level in Hogwarts Legacy 2?

People that could appear in Hogwarts Legacy 2

Jude Law plays Albus Dumbledore in the Fantastic Beasts films holding a chain
Jude Law plays Albus Dumbledore in the Fantastic Beasts films. WB

Albus Dumbledore attended Hogwarts as a student in 1892, just two short years after the plot of Hogwarts Legacy. He will, of course, be a major character in the Harry Potter TV show. It's easy to imagine him being a supporting character in the game, somehow foreshadowing his role in the show.

Nicolas Flamel is a friend of Dumbledore's. Despite being born in 1326, he is still alive at the time of Hogwarts Legacy, having prolonged his life using the Philosopher's Stone. This, of course, is a key item in the first book (which will presumably be the basis for season 1 of the TV show). Involving Nicolas in the game, casting forward somehow to the events on TV, would make perfect sense.

Newt Scamander joined Hogwarts as a student in 1908, so a big time jump would be needed to include him in the second game. We can probably rule out Eddie Redmayne's character, then, even though he would love all the Hogwarts Legacy beasts.

Tom Riddle first attended Hogwarts in 1938. This, again, would require a big time jump to make it possible in the games. Perhaps this would be a better plot for Hogwarts Legacy 3?

Maybe the boffins at Warner Bros could time that threequel to land at the same time as a later season of the TV show, where Voldemort will have a bigger presence? Certainly, his early years feel ripe for exploration in a spin-off.

Lily Potter, James Potter and Severus Snape first attended Hogwarts in 1971. Unless Hogwarts Legacy 2 is planning a massive time jump, we wouldn't expect to see them.

However, the memory of their love triangle looms over Harry throughout the books... maybe we could see what actually happened in Hogwarts Legacy 3 or 4?

If Warner Bros is planning to make this an ongoing franchise, it could potentially bring us through all of these eras, if given enough time!

Places that could appear in Hogwarts Legacy 2

Harry in the Chamber of Secrets in his Hogwarts uniform
Harry in the Chamber of Secrets. © Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.

The Chamber of Secrets gives the second Harry Potter book its name. The iconic location was referenced in the first Hogwarts Legacy game, but players have yet to actually find a way in. Making it visitable in Hogwarts Legacy 2 would add a nice little connection to the TV show, but probably not until its second season (assuming its one season per book).

Privet Drive is where it all begins in the first Harry Potter book. But it's hard to imagine a reason why it would pop up in Hogwarts Legacy 2.

King's Cross Station and its famous Platform 9 3/4 is a key location in the first book. It did not appear in the first Hogwarts Legacy game, but would make a fine addition to the second game. The station, if you were wondering, was built in 1852, so it should exist in the right time period for the game.

Diagon Alley is where Harry Potter does his Back to School shopping in the first book. It didn't appear in the first Hogwarts Legacy game. It would provide a nice TV parallel if it appeared in the second game.

Azkaban appeared briefly in the first game. It is, of course, a key location in the third book. A larger role for the wizarding prison would be cool, but they could hold that back for a later game that lands closer to season 3 of the show.

Things that could appear in Hogwarts Legacy 2

The Philosopher's Stone, as it appears in the Harry Potter films.
The Philosopher's Stone. Warner Bros

Harry's Invisibility Cloak is a key item in the first book. It appeared in the first Hogwarts Legacy game, but only in the dreamlike Deathly Hallows sequence. It would certainly make a handy costume item in the second game!

The Philosopher's Stone gives the first book its name. It can turn any metal into pure gold (which would be handy for making money in Hogwarts Legacy) and extends the life of anyone who drinks it. Nicolas Flamel should have already made it by the time of Hogwarts Legacy, and it could make a great McGuffin for the second game.

The Resurrection Stone is another Deathly Hallow. It won't appear until a later season of the show. Interestingly, it has a connection to the Gaunt family, who are represented in Hogwarts Legacy by Ominis Gaunt. If the gaming franchise keeps going for multiple sequels, perhaps it will appear eventually!

Mirror of Erised plays a key role in the first book, showing Harry a ghostly image of his parents. It wasn't in the first game, but could make a fun plot device in the sequel.

So, it's time for some final thoughts. Having gone down this rabbit hole of a thought experiment, we're starting to see some potential areas where Hogwarts Legacy could intersect with the first season or two of the Harry Potter TV show.

Involving Dumbledore and Flamel in the story would be a surefire way to connect the narrative of the game with the events playing out on TV, adding a certain 'before and after' to and fro to proceedings. Perhaps this is the "big picture storytelling" they were talking about?

The Philosopher's Stone seems a likely focal point of that kind of story. If the young Dumbledore learns how dangerous the stone is (in the game), you'll understand why he went to such great lengths to hide it later (as you'll see on TV).

Doubling down on the nostalgia for those early books, cameo appearances from the Invisibility Cloak, Platform 9 and 3/4 and Diagon Alley could go a long way to making your experience in Hogwarts Legacy 2 feel similar to Harry's adventures on the small screen.

Now lets put The Speculation Hat away and see what happens next.

Read more on Hogwarts Legacy:

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