Does ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ contradict any of the Harry Potter books or movies?

With Hogwarts Legacy set to release in the coming days, pre-release hype for the latest Wizarding World game (and by some measures, the first proper one in over a decade) has reached an all-time high. The excitement is palpable, and it certainly makes sense. After all, it’s been quite some time since fans have had the chance to enjoy a triple-A release of this kind, and while the movies have provided another avenue through which to channel one’s excitement, the last two films in the Fantastic Beasts series have been met with their fair share of criticism.

Those looking for another way to get their next Harry Potter lore fix will likely have Hogwarts Legacy set squarely in the sights, even if the connection between this new game and the numerous movies and books isn’t exactly the strongest.

Does ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ conflict with any of the Harry Potter films or books?

The short answer to this question? Well, generally speaking, no. Unlike the novels and movies many of you might have grown up with, Hogwarts Legacy features an entirely original story developed by Avalanche Software. Most of the game’s characters are brand new (save for a few familiar ghosts and poltergeists), and the story is, largely speaking, self-contained. If you’ve been keeping up with the franchise following the final book’s publication, this won’t come as a shock, seeing as how J.K. Rowling and her staff consult and advise on many Wizarding World projects to ensure that new plot points are in line with the established canon.

That being said, there are some concessions that had to be made when adapting the franchise for a video game. As a result, there are some concessions that were made for the sake of gameplay, pacing, and overall quality. For example, Hogwarts Legacy features its own special Floo network, allowing players to fast travel around the world, which includes transporting out of or into the school, which is not necessarily in line with the established rules of the universe.

Similarly, the game borrows from the films when it comes to dueling. While there are plenty of proper spells that are cast via incantation, the most basic attack you have at your disposal is a non-verbal spell that can be used to deal damage and chain combos together. The films featured a similar spell; likely a deliberate choice to make the action seem more exciting without forcing the actors to quickly repeat the same phrase over and over.

Hogwarts Legacy will fully launch on Feb. 10 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC. Versions for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One are due out later in the year.