Summary
Despite initially releasing all the way back in February,Hogwarts Legacyhas remained one of 2023’s most successful and popular video games, still being avidly talked about seven months later. In this modern age of gaming, it’s extremely rare for a game to stay in the popular zeitgeist for even a month after its initial release, makingHogwarts Legacyan unexpected phenomenon. Where there’s success in the gaming industry, there’s an inevitability that follows it, and it’s the exact same inevitability that revolved aroundStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderafter its release.
Just like any other part of the entertainment industry, sequels are popular in the video game landscape. With the first game laying the groundwork for an often improved experience, sequels tend to be some of the most highly-anticipated video game releases. Though it’s still probably years away, it seems like an inevitability thatHogwarts Legacywill get its own sequel, putting it in the same boat thatStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderwas once in.
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A Hogwarts Legacy Sequel is Just as Inevitable as a Fallen Order Sequel Was
WhenStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderfirst hit store shelves back in November 2019, it was met with an extremely healthy reception from both fans and critics. ThoughaStar WarsSoulslike developed by Respawn Entertainmentseems like a natural recipe for success now, some fans were skeptical beforeJedi: Fallen Order’s release, since EA didn’t have the best track record with theStar Warslicense to that point. But by all accounts,Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderwas a great game, and though it had some significant technical issues at launch, many fans were willing to overlook those.
At the time,Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s release felt strangely magical. The very first episode ofThe Mandalorianaired just three days beforeStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s release, and together, the two projects felt like they were ushering ina brand new era forStar Wars. In multiple ways,Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderfelt like it was only the beginning of something much bigger, and it was almost taken for granted that it would receive some kind of sequel pretty quickly.
Hogwarts Legacycurrently finds itself in an extremely similar boat. Though many fans were extremely excited forHogwarts Legacy’s release, there was a good deal of skepticism surrounding the project, mostly due to the developer’s lack of experience in the open-world RPG landscape. But as the reviews started to pour in just prior to release, fan excitement reached an all-new height, with the game receiving a good critical reception across the board. While it certainly isn’t perfect,Hogwarts Legacyis a great first go at anAAA RPG set in the Wizarding World, and it does definitely feel like a first go.
Despite games likeZelda: Tears of the Kingdom,Diablo 4,Starfield, andBaldur’s Gate 3all releasing this year, none have managed to reach the same heights asHogwarts Legacywhen it comes to sales. Right now,Hogwarts Legacyis the best-selling game of 2023, and with a Switch release on the way in November, that doesn’t look like it’ll be changing anytime soon. No one really expectedHogwarts Legacyto be this ridiculously successful, and when a game becomes such an overt hit, the case of a sequel isn’t a matter of if, but when
Hogwarts Legacyis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with a Switch version releasing November 14.
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