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Hogwarts Legacy 2 dovetails with HBO’s Harry Potter series, despite being centuries apart

Hogwarts Legacy 2 has some kind of story significance that ties in with Warner Bros’ plans for HBO’s Harry Potter series

Josh Broadwell

Warner Bros

Hogwarts Legacy 2 has some kind of story significance that ties in with Warner Bros’ plans for HBO’s Harry Potter series, despite the two tales taking place centuries apart. David Haddad, president of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, made the comment to Variety and said it’s part of WB’s efforts to build an “authentic experience” for fans.

“We have known for some time that fans are looking for more things in this world, and so we’re spending a lot of time thinking about that,” Haddad said. “Our insights tell us that there are not huge distinctions between a younger version of a fan and an older version of a fan. They’re just deep ‘Harry Potter’ fans, and we try to build authentic experiences to delight them.”

That effort is part of Warner Bros’ broader goals of keeping the Harry Potter franchise relevant almost 30 years after the first book’s publications, a renewed push that Haddad says Hogwarts Legacy’s success helped inspire. The open-world game launched in February 2023 and sold over 20 million copies by the end of the year.

“The rest of the company was very curious about what we helped to unlock with Hogwarts Legacy last year,” Haddad said.

That also probably explains why Warner Bros is keen to tie Hogwarts Legacy 2 with HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series. Haddad said Warner Bros is coordinating “big-picture storytelling moments” that will play out in the series. Unless Hogwarts Legacy 2 takes place decades after the first game, you can probably expect expanded backstories for characters and the broader wizarding world that the books only hint at.

Speaking of the books, Haddad carefully danced around the topic of J.K. Rowling and the views she frequently expresses on social media. Rowling is not involved in any of Warner Bros’ current Harry Potter projects, though they keep the author informed about their plans.

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Josh Broadwell
JOSH BROADWELL

Josh is a freelance writer and reporter who specializes in guides, reviews, and whatever else he can convince someone to commission. You may have seen him on NPR, IGN, Polygon, or Rolling Stone shouting about RPGs. When he isn’t working, you’ll likely find him outside with his Belgian Malinois and Australian Shepherd or leveling yet another job in FFXIV.

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