The Ultimate Multiplayer Experience: How Hogwarts Legacy Sets the Bar Higher

Highlights

Hogwarts Legacy's success opens the door for future Harry Potter games with improved multiplayer features, addressing one of the game's biggest drawbacks.

The game's Owlery area could undergo an update, transforming it into an in-game messenger system where players can send messages and personalize their own owls. Additionally, the Owlery can be utilized to facilitate item exchanges among players, introducing an enhanced level of interactivity and potential collaboration within the game.

Hogwarts Legacy's focus on a narrative-driven single-player experience leaves room for the possibility of future updates or sequels incorporating multiplayer elements inspired by existing features. While Hogwarts Legacy aimed for an immersive individualized gameplay experience, Avalanche Software's experience with multiplayer games suggests that they may have scaled back their focus to ensure the success of the game's return to PC and console gaming.

With the proven success of Hogwarts Legacy in terms of sales and reviews, it is likely that more Harry Potter games will be developed, with the hope of expanding beyond the initial scope set by Avalanche Software. Addressing the lack of multiplayer functionality should be a priority for any new game or update. However, instead of creating a crowded MMO-style Hogwarts experience, the next game in the franchise can take inspiration from Hogwarts Legacy's Owlery to create a simple yet effective multiplayer feature.

Hogwarts Legacy's Owlery is the Perfect In-Game Messenger

In some games, older methods of communication like in-game messengers and player bulletin boards have been replaced by platforms like Discord or Mumble. However, certain games still have these features in some form or another. For instance, Dark Souls gained notoriety when players started using game emotes as a makeshift language, and Nintendo continues to incorporate in-game systems where players can leave drawn messages for each other in games like Super Mario Maker 2 and Splatoon 3. Although it may seem outdated compared to other games, it would be beneficial for Hogwarts Legacy to update the Owlery area to offer a similar communication feature.

Similar to how witches and wizards traditionally send letters to each other through owls, Hogwarts Legacy or a future Harry Potter game could implement an in-game Owlery where players can keep and customize their own owl. Through this owl, players would have the ability to send messages to other players. The delivery of mail via owls was a recurring element in the Harry Potter series, both in the books and films, making it a missed opportunity to exclude this feature from Hogwarts Legacy. Even if the next game does not include full multiplayer functionality, this small update could provide an enjoyable experience for Harry Potter fans.

The Owlery Could Take Hogwarts Legacy's Multiplayer Even Further

If given the opportunity, Hogwarts Legacy's Owlery has the potential to enhance multiplayer interaction beyond the mere exchange of messages between players. In a similar fashion to the early Harry Potter books and films, where owls not only carried letters but also parcels and packages like Harry's Nimbus 2000 or Neville Longbottom's Remembrall, the Owlery delivery system in Hogwarts Legacy could enable players to send various items to one another. These items could include valuable resources like Ingredients and Potions, as well as cosmetic items such as Wand Handles or Brooms.

Furthermore, if Hogwarts Legacy or its sequel were to incorporate online or co-op gameplay, the Owlery could serve as a means for Avalanche Software to achieve this. Taking inspiration from Dark Souls, where players can summon allies during single-player gameplay through in-game signs for assistance in challenging battles, Hogwarts Legacy could introduce a similar mechanic. Players could magically call upon their friends or allies throughout the game via their owls, thereby integrating online elements without compromising the core single-player experience.

Hogwarts Legacy is out now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with a Nintendo Switch version releasing on November 14, 2023.