Hogwarts Legacyhas made quite the impression since launching in early February. The open-world action RPG from Avalanche Studios has impressively managed to bring the magic ofHarry Potterto life in video game form, allowing fans both old and new to fulfill their fantasies of attending the famed Hogwarts school for young wizards and witches. The successful open-world formula established inHogwarts Legacyshould be seen as a blueprint for how to transition a big movie franchise into a video game, and Marvel would do well to take notice.
Marvel’s video games have had varying degrees of success over the years. The lofty heights of its PlayStation-exclusiveSpider-Manseries have not always been hit, with games likeMarvel’s Avengersfailing to meet fans' expectationsfor a variety of reasons. Recently though, the quality of these titles seems to have been far more consistent. Aside from theSpider-Mangames, 2021’sMarvel’sGuardians of the Galaxyand last year’sMarvel’s Midnight Sunsboth also fared favorably with critics, which bodes well for future projects, of which there are several.
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Future Marvel Games Should Follow Hogwarts Legacy’s Lead
The next few years should see several moreMarvelvideo games enter the fray.Spider-Man 2is set to release in late 2023, and promises to build on the vibrant world established in its predecessor, as well as the spin-offMiles Morales. AWolverinegame is also in development, and while not much has been revealed about that yet, gamers should hopefully learn more as the year develops. Two more games, an as-yet unnamed project from developer Skydance starring Captain America and Black Panther, and a single-playerIron Man game from EA Motive, are also in active development. Games that are added onto this list in the future would be wise to useHogwarts Legacyas a source of inspiration.
At its core,Hogwarts Legacykeeps its premise pretty simple. Avalanche Studios has created a huge open-world to explore, including the gloriously impressive Hogwarts itself which has been painstakingly built from the ground up, and filled with various easter eggs and lore items for fans to go crazy over. The game drops players into this world and invites them to explore it as they wish. Key gameplay mechanics such as brooms used for flight, and more advanced spells, are intelligently introduced at just the right time to the player, ensuring they never become overwhelmed. The lore contained within the game closely follows the source material, but never to the degree that players who are unfamiliar with the series could find themselves lost or confused.
While thePS5-exclusiveWolverinegameis unlikely to share much in common withHogwarts Legacy, anX-Mengame in particular could really excel using this formula. Stepping into the shoes of a young mutant enrolling into Professor Xavier’s School For Gifted Youngsters as they learn more about their powers would give players the opportunity to really feel what it’s like to become one of theX-Men, and maybe even fight alongside more established heroes such as Storm and Cyclops. Players could come and go from the mutant school as they wish, fighting crimes across a huge open-world as their powers grow exponentially.
The beauty of this formula is that it wouldn’t just work for Marvel. It’s easy to imagine aStar Warsgame that followsHogwarts Legacy’s formula, where the player becomes a young Jedi, training at the Jedi Temple, and can become either a Jedi or Sith. The freedom to explore a Star Wars galaxy as a customizable protagonist sounds like a dream come true for fans. Equally, theGame of Thronesuniverse of Westeros seems perfect for a game like this. Asking players to choose which house to represent before building an army in a quest for the Iron Throne is a prospect that fans of the series would be thrilled by. After years of big franchises releasing hit-and-miss video games, it seemsHogwarts Legacyhas finally found a winning formula that others, such as Marvel, should replicate.
Hogwarts Legacyis available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. PS4 and Xbox One ports are scheduled to release on April 4, whereas the Nintendo Switch version is arriving Jun 29, 2025.
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