An image ofHogwarts Legacy 2has yet to fully materialize, but it’s always been a safe bet that Avalanche is planning on developing it, if it’s not already. The firstHogwarts Legacysold exceptionally well, outpacing other giants of its year likeThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and it’s only a matter of time before a follow-up, whether direct or indirect, is announced.
The burgeoningHogwarts LegacyIP is, by definition, limitless: it’s not bound to any existingHarry PotterIP, and is thus free to explore any era or concept of the Wizarding World.
And of course, where there’s room for a sequel, there’s room for rampant discussion, wish-listing, and daydreaming about one. However, one commonly requested sequel addition, romance, might still wind up scrapped in the final release, and for good reason.
It Will Be Tough for Hogwarts Legacy 2 To Do Romance Right, So Maybe It Just Shouldn’t Try
Hogwarts Legacy 2’s Central Characters Will Presumably Just Be Teenagers Again
UnlessHogwarts Legacy 2follows Aurorsor some other adult faction—sections of the Wizarding World that have been famously underrepresented inHarry Pottermedia—it seems probable that its main characters will be schoolchildren again. This makes sense, especially since Hogwarts is arguably the most interesting part ofHarry Potter, but it could stand in the way of meaningful and interesting romance experiences.
Hogwarts Legacy 2’s romance plotscan only go so far, as it were. This isn’t just in reference to the physically intimate elements of the romance, which would of course not be appropriate to depict in a video game like this, but also the more emotional side. The fact is, a romance between two sixteen-year-olds isn’t very interesting for many older players, as their emotional connection is often less intense and complex than what two adults can have.
Depicting physical intimacy between teenagers may not be inherently bad in media as a whole, but the fact thatHogwarts Legacy 2will presumably be an RPG within which players are encouraged to insert themselves, makes the subject a little hairier.
IfHogwarts Legacy 2were to get romanceoptions and subplots, then they would likely be cursory to the point of being ineffectual. In other words,Hogwarts Legacy 2would only give players a swing at puppy love, which, by definition, is shallow and uninteresting. Considering the moral and optical minefield that romance options would pose inHogwarts Legacy 2, a bare-bones and uninspired romance system would likely not be worth the trouble.
That doesn’t mean thatHogwarts Legacy 2should shy away from social-sim elements entirely, though. On the contrary, the repeated absence of romance options, coupled with a greater pivot away from trivial action-RPG mechanics, could make the sequel’s in-game friendships much more impactful and well-defined.Hogwarts Legacyhas problemswith its central, school-based premise, but they won’t be solved by the arrival of romance features alone.
