'Hogwarts Legacy' Will Take Place Long Before the Events of 'Harry Potter'

Despite its constant controversy, Hogwarts Legacy is easily one of the most anticipated games coming out within the next year. Though the game's developers have promised that controversial author J.K. Rowling has not contributed to the contents of the game, many players are still planning to boycott the title so as not to further financially benefit Rowling or support the game's harmful stereotypes.

But as Harry Potter fans debate back and forth whether or not they plan to support the upcoming title, there are still plenty who are planning to pick up the game when it releases in early 2023.

When does Hogwarts Legacy takes place that sets it so far apart from the timeline of the original Harry Potter story? Here's what to know.

Though the walls of Hogwarts will remain familiar for fans of the novels and movies, you won't find any familiar faces among the halls — even some of the infamous ghosts present during Harry Potter's time won't be around.

Hogwarts Legacy will take place sometime in the late 1800s, allegedly during one of the goblin rebellions previously referred to in Rowling's books. In one of the trailers, the year 1890 is listed on a newspaper clipping, suggesting it'll take place around that time.

Though much of the Harry Potter franchise has gone back and built up the lore of some of the novel's most interesting characters, like Newt Scamander in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, none of these previously mentioned characters were around during the same time period as Hogwarts Legacy. Newt was born in 1897, and Harry wasn't around until 1980, suggesting we'll meet an almost entirely original cast of characters in the upcoming game.

At this time, the only confirmed returning character to the game is the ghost Nearly Headless Nick, as he's teased in one of the game's trailers. There are some theories as to who else could reappear in this game, though expect the number of familiar faces to be very small.

At this time, it's presumed that the main villain of the story will be Ranrok the goblin, who will lead the rebellion happening during the time period. We don't know much about Ranrok as a character at the moment, though the gameplay trailers have indicated that he will be aligning himself with some dark wizards and witches to help his cause.

Another character, Victor Rookwood, potentially has connections to known Death Eater Augustus Rookwood, though it's unclear if this alone will paint Victor as a villain in the game.

But these aren't the only characters with negative intentions in this video game — the title will allow the player to make their own choices, giving them the option to use their magic for bad instead of good. If you so choose, the player character may also become the villain in Hogwarts Legacy.