The Magic Continues: Unveiling the Potential of New IP Content for Harry Potter Games

Highlights

Despite controversy surrounding the series creator, the Harry Potter franchise remains highly profitable and successful in the entertainment industry.

Hogwarts Legacy has surpassed expectations and emerged as the top-selling game of 2023, showcasing the immense potential that the Harry Potter franchise holds in the gaming industry. Rather than pursuing lackluster movies or an excessively ambitious TV series, it would be prudent to further develop the Wizarding World through successful ventures like Hogwarts Legacy.

The Harry Potter franchise is currently in a precarious position. Despite the series creator's continuous display of hateful rhetoric towards marginalized groups, which has caused a significant loss of fans, the Wizarding World remains one of the most lucrative entertainment franchises in the Western world. With theme parks and merchandise generating enormous profits every day. Surprisingly, Hogwarts Legacy can now be added to this list.

Upon its release in February of this year, both fans and the gaming community predicted that Hogwarts Legacy would be a successful addition to the franchise. However, its monumental success has exceeded expectations. As of now, Hogwarts Legacy holds the title for the best-selling game of 2023, surpassing popular titles such as Zelda, Star Wars, and Diablo. This game marks the most triumphant project within the Wizarding World in recent times, and it serves as a lesson to Warner Bros. that the future of Harry Potter lies within the gaming industry.

Games Like Hogwarts Legacy Should Continue to Build Out the Wizarding World

From the start of the 2000s to the beginning of the 2010s, the Harry Potter franchise dominated the world, captivating audiences with its movies and books. However, after the release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" in 2011, the franchise experienced a period of inactivity. Inevitably, in the entertainment industry, successful properties are bound to receive sequels or prequels, and this was the case in 2016 with the release of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."

Although the initial "Fantastic Beasts" movie was a successful blockbuster that evoked nostalgia, it received mixed reviews from critics, foreshadowing future disappointments. As each subsequent sequel hit the screens, the quality of the Fantastic Beasts series deteriorated, and the box office results reflected this decline. Consequently, what was originally planned as a five-movie series was abruptly cut short, leaving the Harry Potter franchise in a state of uncertainty.

HBO recently announced their plan to produce a Harry Potter series that will span a decade, adapting the entire saga. While this may seem intriguing, there are notable criticisms surrounding the project. The mildest criticism is that fans have already had numerous opportunities to experience these stories through books and films, making a retelling unnecessary. However, some fans speculate that this series serves a more ulterior motive. With J.K. Rowling serving as Executive Producer, some believe that this is an attempt to overwrite the movies, as several of the franchise's actors have expressed their disagreement with Rowling's controversial statements.

Regarding Hogwarts Legacy, although it still maintains a connection with Rowling, she reportedly had minimal involvement in the creative process. This was enough to convince some fans to support the game, especially considering that it provided a fresh and immersive exploration of the Wizarding World and its history. Looking forward, it would be wiser to focus on expanding the Wizarding World through successful games like Hogwarts Legacy, rather than forcing subpar movies or an overly ambitious TV series that lacks demand.

Hogwarts Legacy is out now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with a Switch version releasing on November 14.