TheHarry Potterfranchise is one of the most famous and successful media franchises that has spanned several books, Movies, and games along the way. Although the series ended with Harry Potter finally defeating the dark lord, aka Voldemort inHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,theHarry Potterfranchise has continued to expandthe lore of theHarry Potteruniverse by shifting its focus to events that occurred before the narrative of theHarry Potterbooks. The success ofHarry Potteras a franchise naturally meant that anything set in its fictional world is bound to garner mainstream attention.
Five years after the release ofHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, fans were treated to a new movie in the franchise, set up as a prequel, calledFantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. The film was the first of five in a prequel spin-off series, and its existence proved that the fans were still interested in the franchise. The most recent addition to the universe ofHarry Pottercame with the release of the highly popular and successful video game in 2023,Hogwarts Legacy. The events ofHogwarts Legacyprecede even those of theFantastic Beastfranchise and thus expand the known lore and timeline of theHarry Potterfranchise even further.
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The Complete Timeline of The Harry Potter Universe
Hogwarts Legacyis an action role-playing gamedeveloped by Avalanche Software, and is arguably the firstHarry Pottergame to do justice to the franchise. However, fans will not be able to see their favorite characters feature in the game, as it takes place approximately 100 years before the events of the first Harry Potter book,Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, which is set in 1991. To be exact, the events of the game unfold in the year 1890, and see a young student being enrolled in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, who then embarks on a quest to uncover ancient secrets of the Wizarding World. While the story of Hogwarts Legacy is not crucial for understanding the main events of theHarry Potterfranchise, it doesdeepen theHarry Potterloreand provide more context about the series' fantasy world.
Next up is the spin-off prequel series,theFantastic Beastsfranchise, the events of which have been confirmed to take place between the years 1926 and 1945. TheFantastic Beastsseries is set to have five films and follows a quirky wizard named Newt Scamander and his band of amateur friends as they attempt to face off against the dark wizard named Gellert Grindelwald. Albus Dumbledore is also prominently featured in these films as an ally of Newt and helps him stop the growing divide between the Wizarding and the Muggle worlds. The firstFantastic Beastsfilm is set almost 65 years prior to the events of the firstHarry Potterbook.
Finally, The mainHarry Potterbooks and films are set between the years 1991 and 1998, and follow Harry Potter, the boy who lived, as he embarks on a quest of epic proportions to save the magical realm. On his eleventh birthday, Harry is sent an invitation to join the Wizarding School of Hogwarts which sets up a chain of events, the likes of which have never been witnessed by the Wizarding world before. Throughout his schooling Harry encounters various threats and faces off against many powerful enemies, all sent to him bythe villainous Lord Voldemort. After years of conflict and many sacrifices, Harry is finally able to put a stop to Voldemort’s plans and finish him off for good, with aid from his close friends and mentors.
The success of theHarry Potterfranchise is a key indicator that the series will continue to grow. Currently, the entire timeline can be summarized to take place between 1890 and 1998.Hogwarts Legacytakes place in 1890,Fantastic Beastsbetween 1926 and 1945, andHarry Potterbetween 1991 and 1998.
Hogwarts Legacyis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. A Switch version will release on November 14.
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