How Hogwarts Legacy Breaks Harry Potter Canon

The PS5 Showcase was an exciting event filled with surprising announcements and amazing gameplay footage. However, one reveal that shocked everyone was Hogwarts Legacy, a game being developed by Avalanche Studios and Portkey Games. The title will be taking place in the late 1800's and will give players agency for what direction the story progresses.

Hogwarts Legacy will also be an original story unrelated to the events within Harry Potter and will serve as an open-world RPG that has players creating their own characters and sending them on a magical journey. The prospect of wandering the Wizarding World as a witch or a wizard is something fans of the beloved series have dreamed of for a long time.

Upon releasing an announcement trailer at the PS5 Showcase, the developers also added a wallpaper that proves Hogwarts Legacy may be breaking Harry Potter canon to their website. Obviously, the wallpaper puts the Hogwarts castle at centerstage, but just to the right of Hogwarts is a very particular looking tree. The tree is the infamous Whomping Willow, which has been an intriguing part of Hogwarts for a long time.

Hogwarts: A History

The question is, how does featuring the Whomping Willow in the Hogwarts Legacy wallpaper break canon? Well, in 1971, the Whomping Willow was located at the Hogwarts grounds for the first time. The tree hid a secret passage from Hogwarts to the Shrieking Shack, a house just outside of Hogsmeade, where Remus Lupin would go to transform into a werewolf once every month. It was believed that Headmaster Dumbledore planted the tree for that very purpose. After all, the tree was extremely violent towards any student, excepting Remus Lupin.

The Shrieking Shack was secluded from everything else and was the perfect stop for Remus to transfer into his monstrous half. Stupidly, Sirius Black would eventually tell Severus Snape how to avoid the Whomping Willow, and Snape, being curious, proceeds to do this on the night of a full moon. On that night, Snape almost faced death by a transformed Remus, but was saved by James Potter. This was part of what cemented Sirius and Snape as mortal enemies for the rest of their living days.

Hogwarts Legacy: Canon Or Not?

Now, the tree in the wallpaper could just be another tree, but the placement and the cosmetics of it are just too coincidentally similar to the Whomping Willow. There is also the question of whether or not Hogwarts Legacy is actually canon within the Wizarding World. If not, the developers have a massive opportunity to truly tell their own version of Hogwarts and the Wizarding World. However, being canon would mean there are pre-existing stories the game needs to be aware of, and remain within the constraints of those stories.

The Wizarding World is important to hundreds of millions, if not billions, of people. Naturally, a lot of care and caution is expected to go into Hogwarts Legacy because of its massive fanbase, but also because of the pressures that come with handling a franchise so paramount. It will be interesting to see how the game turns out, but it's safe to say that excitement is off the charts.

Next: 12 Fantastic Beasts Confirmed For Hogwarts Legacy

Editor’s Note: Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling has been accused of transphobia by those in the LGBTQ+ community. Although not directly involved in the development of Hogwarts Legacy, Rowling does stand to earn royalties from the game. We would like to reiterate our support for trans rights and that trans identities are valid. Support services are listed below for trans people impacted by discussions of transphobia.

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