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Credit: Warner Bros.Despite the last two Fantastic Beasts films being both critical and financial disappointments, which has reportedly led Warner Bros. to consider “resetting” the entire Harry Potter franchise, it seems they aren’t quite done with the Fantastic Beasts concept.
Mired in whirlwinds of controversy surrounding actors Johnny Depp (Gellert Grindelwald) and Ezra Miller (Credence Barebone), and Wizarding World creator JK Rowling, Fantastic Beasts didn’t really stand a chance, and now it looks like a fourth film won’t happen.
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But it would appear that there’s another Fantastic Beasts installment on the horizon anyway — just not in the way you might think. Open-world game Hogwarts Legacy (2023) recently just unveiled a second gameplay showcase, which gives us an even better idea what to expect.
Sprawling open-world environments, broomstick flight, an array of spells and combat moves, and Wizarding World secrets are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Hogwarts Legacy, but one feature appears to play quite heavily into the game.
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Since the game was first announced two years ago, it’s been no mystery that magical creatures will play a huge role during your time at Hogwarts. And now, it seems that Hogwarts Legacy is shaping up to be a Fantastic Beasts installment in its own right.
The new gameplay showcase makes a number of surprising reveals when it comes to magical creatures, such as the ability to “pull” a Hippogriff or a Thestral out of your satchel, having your own “Beast Care Section” which poses as an “outdoor” extension to the Room of Requirement (your safe haven throughout the game), and even naming those magical creatures.
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Sound familiar? Yes, it sounds exactly like Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)! In the 2016 film, Magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) wanders around 1920s New York with a garden full of magical creatures living inside his briefcase.
While the game offers so much more than just the care of magical creatures, is it possible Warner Bros. is sneaking another Fantastic Beasts installment out onto the market? Or will Hogwarts Legacy simply serve as a more “spiritual” sequel (or prequel) to the spin-off series?
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Well, while that does appear to be the case (and why not — the magical creatures aspect of the films is the least-criticized), the game is not canon with any of the Harry Potter books or films, or the Fantastic Beasts spin-off series. Recent reveals even suggest that it will alter certain aspects of established Wizarding World lore.
As per the official Hogwarts Legacy website, here’s the synopsis for the game:
Hogwarts Legacy is an immersive, open-world action RPG set in the world first introduced in the Harry Potter books. For the first time, experience Hogwarts in the 1800s. Your character is a student who holds the key to an ancient secret that threatens to tear the wizarding world apart. Now you can take control of the action and be at the center of your own adventure in the wizarding world. Your legacy is what you make of it.
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PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of Hogwarts Legacy will now be released on April 4, 2023. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series versions will be released as planned on February 10, while the Nintendo Switch version will be released on July 25.
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Do you think Hogwarts Legacy looks far more like Fantastic Beasts than Harry Potter? Let us know in the comments down below!