TheHarry Potterfranchise has been one of the biggest entertainment franchises ever since the first book was published in 1997. The firstHarry Potterbook became a worldwide phenomenon, spawning a billion dollar film franchise, numerous sequels, supplementary books, video games, and much more. There are multipleHarry Pottertheme parks as well, really driving home the mindboggling popularity that the franchise has enjoyed for decades now.
As one of the biggest media franchises ever, it’s no surprise that newHarry Pottercontent is still coming out on a regular basis. This includes a full-fledgedHarry Potteraction-RPG in development by Avalanche Software calledHogwarts Legacy.Hogwarts Legacywas due for release in 2021, only for the game to be delayed to 2022 so that the developers have more time to ensure that it lives up to fans' lofty expectations.
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While someHarry Potterfans are no doubt disappointed about theHogwarts Legacydelay, it is at least setting up a big 2022 for the franchise. In fact, 2022 may be one of the biggest years forHarry Potterto date, with a lot of new content for franchise fans to look forward to next year.
Fantastic Beasts 3
While JK Rowling has concluded theHarry Potterbook series, the story has continued on the big screen through theFantastic Beastsfilm. The first film in the series,Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, was relatively well-received by fans and critics. Unfortunately, the sequel,Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, was far less successful. It earned far less positive reviews and failed to live up to the box office expectations set by the previous films in the Wizarding World franchise.
WhenFantastic Beasts 3comes to theaters, it will have been four years since the release ofThe Crimes of Grindelwald. This extra time in the oven hopefully means that the third film in what is planned to be a five film saga will be a bit more refined than the second entry. Whether or not it avoids the same criticisms aimed at the second film remains to be seen, however, but it will definitely be interesting to see how it turns out.
After all,Fantastic Beasts 3is mired in controversy. Besides the anger directed at JK Rowling, the controversial decision was made to recast the role of Grindelwald, withMads Mikkelsen replacing Johnny Depp. Mads Mikkelsen is a proven performer who will no doubt do the role justice, but since Grindelwald has been positioned as the franchise’s central antagonist, it’s possible fans will reject the recasting.
As far as plot goes, not a whole lot is known aboutFantastic Beasts 3just yet. Two settings have been confirmed in the form of Brazil, which will be a big departure for the Wizarding World, as well as Berlin, Germany. It will apparently discuss how the Wizarding World became involved with World War 2, which could prove to be rather interesting.
Fantastic Beasts 3will premiere in theaters on August 11, 2025.
New Content in Mobile Harry Potter Games
2022 will also bring with it content updates to existingHarry Pottergames. The Portkey Games publishing label has so far put out three separate mobile games based on theHarry Potterfranchise, including the visual novelHarry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, thePokemon GO-likeHarry Potter: Wizards Unite, and the match-3 puzzle gameHarry Potter: Puzzles & Spells. While reactions to theseHarry Pottermobile games have been mixed, they all have managed to develop a dedicated following of players.
Each game has received regular content updates in an effort to keep fans engaged, and there’s no reason to think that these free updates will stop next year. As far asHogwarts Mysterygoes, 2022 should finally see the long story wrapping up, if it hasn’t already reached its conclusion by then, so it should be especially exciting year for fans of that particularHarry Pottergame.
Hogwarts Legacy
While someHarry Potterfans are no doubt excited for new content coming to the existing mobile games, it’s safe to say that even more are looking forward to the long-awaited launch ofHogwarts Legacy. One of the firstWizarding Worldgames not based directly on the books or films, there’s a great deal of hype surroundingHogwarts Legacy.
Hogwarts Legacywill be set in the late 1800s, so quite awhile before the events of the main series and theFantastic Beastsprequel films. In the game, players will be sorted into a Hogwarts house, attend classes, and explore iconic locations.Hogwarts Legacywill use a morality systemthat players can manipulate by the choices that they make while playing the game. If it lives up to expectations,Hogwarts Legacyhas the potential to be the premiereHarry Pottergame when it launches in 2022.
Hogwarts Legacylaunches in 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
