The breakout success of Hogwarts Legacy left Avalanche Software with an enviable curse: how to follow a game that built a massive sandbox in the 1800s without becoming trapped by the very lore that made it shine. The late 1800s setting was a clever move, placing the story far from Harry Potter’s timeline yet close enough to familiar magic. But now the sequel faces a question that feels like choosing which door to open in a corridor of locked classrooms—each key might unlock a different era, and each era carries its own risks and rewards.

The 1800s Setting Is a Double-Edged Wand

The original game’s period setting helped it strike a balance between nostalgic appeal and standalone quality. It breathed the air of Harry Potter lore without being chained to the plot of the books or films. At the same time, that era comes with firm guardrails. Hogwarts could not be destroyed in Hogwarts Legacy, for instance, because the school obviously remains intact in later stories. The late 1800s also sits in an awkward middle zone: too close to the events of the Fantastic Beasts films to make major lore-shaking changes, yet too far from established characters and plots to lean heavily on them.

It is a bit like trying to rewrite a family tree while standing in the portrait gallery of ancestors—every brushstroke seems to bump into an existing face. The sequel needs more room to move.

A Leap Into the Deep Past

One intriguing option is to set the next Hogwarts Legacy far back in time, giving players a chance to meet legendary figures like Merlin, Nicholas Flamel, and the founders of Hogwarts. This approach would sidestep the awkward question of what happened to the first game’s protagonist while offering a genuinely fresh look at the wizarding world. It would also grant the story as much narrative elbow room as the Forbidden Forest at midnight.

With that extra temporal breathing room, the stakes could grow much heavier. The player could even have a hand in the founding of Hogwarts, or in the fragile relationships between Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Helga Hufflepuff. That sort of tale would feel less like a sequel and more like an origin myth—ancient, sweeping, and largely free of predetermined endings.

A Daring Jump Into the Future

To completely break free from the restrictions imposed by preexisting lore, Avalanche could leap forward, skipping past the Harry Potter series and perhaps even into the far future. At first, the idea of futuristic or science-fiction elements in a Harry Potter story might sound as strange as mixing jet fuel with Felix Felicis—odd ingredients, but the result could be a wild, lucky flight.

Yet the idea has genuine merit. Hogwarts Legacy is great, but the series could easily grow stale if every follow-up simply presents the same kind of castle-and-forest setting. By showing how magic intersects with technology and the modern world, a futuristic game could offer perspectives, commentary, and aesthetics that are wholly unique to the franchise. That kind of boldness might be exactly what the sequel needs to avoid becoming a well-decorated copy of its predecessor.

Staying Close to Harry’s Era

Of course, the safest option would be to set the next Hogwarts Legacy during or around the events of the Harry Potter series. Players could experience the classic books and films from an outsider’s perspective, interacting with familiar characters as they progress through each school year. This approach would allow the game to focus more on the everyday experience of being a Hogwarts student, rather than on being the chosen hero.

It would certainly feel warm and recognizable, but it would also come with the tightest narrative handcuffs. The main events of that era are already well documented, so the game would have to work hard to make its own story feel essential.

Choosing an Era for the Sequel

In 2026, with sequel rumors still swirling, the big question is whether Avalanche Software will play it safe or take a bigger creative risk.

The Hogwarts Legacy franchise has a rare chance to differentiate itself from other Harry Potter media, and the setting is one of its most powerful tools. The first game proved that players are hungry for a wizarding world open to exploration. Hopefully, the sequel will unbuckle itself from the safest path and choose a direction that feels less like a familiar echo and more like a new spell being cast for the first time.