The impending arrival of a new Harry Potter video game is ramping up excitement among fans of the Wizarding World. Hogwarts Legacy, an action RPG set in Harry Potter‘s British boarding school, is set to arrive on consoles soon, providing Potterheads with their first-ever opportunity to explore J.K. Rowling’s magical world without a tie-in to any of the main canon we’ve become familiar with through film and book releases.
The game will veer away from the well-known protagonists of the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts franchises, instead embarking on a brand new adventure into the Wizarding World. The game’s departure from familiar territory is sparking questions about its setting, as fans work to acquaint themselves with the newcomer to the Harry Potter world.
When does Hogwarts Legacy take place?
News that Hogwarts Legacy won’t follow familiar characters like Harry, Ron, and Hermione came as a shock to many fans, who’ve come to expect video game releases that link up with the events of familiar stories. Typical Harry Potter games mirror the plot from specific films or books, providing a different but recognizable take on J.K. Rowling’s work. Such is not the case with Hogwarts Legacy, which aims to thrust gamers into a brand new version of the Harry Potter world.
The exact setting of most additions to Harry Potter can be difficult to determine, thanks to the pairing of ancient-looking buildings and indistinguishable costuming. Those plain black robes aren’t giving anything away, so early trailers for Hogwarts Legacy didn’t do much to clue people into the game’s setting.
The Harry Potter books and films are set between 1991 and 1998, during Harry’s years as a Hogwarts student. The Fantastic Beasts films venture back several years before this time period, shifting to the late 1920s, but remain rooted in solidly familiar territory.
Hogwarts Legacy is abandoning these modern — or modern-ish — timelines for a story set all the way back in the 1800s. Avalanche Software, the developer behind the game, said it hopes to “chart new territory by creating fresh ways for fans to immerse themselves in the wizarding world,” according to Tech Radar.
Due to its setting more than a century before any Harry Potter content we’ve seen so far, fans aren’t likely to see any familiar faces in Hogwarts Legacy. A few particularly old characters — like Nearly Headless Nick — may crop up, but most of the professors and side characters will be completely new.
The exact year that the game is set has been hazily stated as “the 1800s,” meaning its story will follow wizards during the time of Charles Dickens, Beethoven, and the world’s very first photographs. A newspaper revealed midway through the game’s 14-minute gameplay trailer indicates the story in Hogwarts Legacy will take place in the fall of 1890, beginning with the school year’s start on Sept 1. Players likely won’t be exposed to any major historical events, as their enjoyment of the world is limited to Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, and a few surrounding towns, but small hints toward the game’s time period likely exist throughout the world.
Hogwarts Legacy hits shelves on Feb. 10, 2023, and early reviews already promise a truly unparalleled venture into the vast Wizarding World.
