“Music is magic” says the description of Hogwarts Legacy’s video titled Making The Music. The seven-minute promotional video covers the music in Hogwarts Legacy and details some of the efforts in making the soundtrack for the game.
The highly anticipated action role-playing title is set to be one of the biggest games for The Wizarding World, and with such a big IP to carry, Avalanche Software is also taking on their biggest project yet. The studio is most known for the Disney Infinity series, the ill-fated toys-to-life genre surely didn’t offer the same challenges as making a sprawling action RPG.
One of the most important aspects of such a game is the music. Fans of the Harry Potter Wizarding World franchise will know very well that music is a very important part too. With John Williams’s iconic "Hedwig’s Theme" being instantly recognizable and adding to the sense of wonder of the movie franchise. One composer notes that they want to make the Hogwarts Legacy soundtrack bring back childlike awe and wonder by using “heroic fanfares” of trumpets and violins, contrasting the concept to the “texture-based” scores of other contemporary games. Another composer directly references “Hedwig’s Theme” and acknowledges its impact, stating that they will incorporate themes from the piece into the music of the game.
Chuck. E Myers, the lead composer, states that a new piece “Ancient Magic” has grown from the idea of it being a relative of “Hedwig’s Theme” implying that there may be sequences that are identifiable from the movie franchise. The team state that they have aimed for the music to feel fresh yet nostalgic, which may seem oxymoronic but also seems to perfectly encapsulate the feelings associated with The Wizarding World. The team also discusses the difficulty of scoring a vast RPG compared to scoring a linear narrative such as a movie. A player may suddenly take on a quest, enter a building, or mount a broom and fly away, which would all translate to a different gameplay feel, and therefore demand a different musical accompaniment. The team also reassures fans that research into the four different Hogwarts Houses has been done, so that common room themes can appropriately match the history and character of each room.
It is worth noting that while the video is showing the audience a glimpse into the creative process behind the music, it is still a promotional video. While the clip feels like a behind the scenes extra from a DVD, the video is essentially a seven-minute commercial. With that being said, the Hogwarts Legacy music on display does sound amazing and should hopefully match the emotions from the movies. Everyone involved seems entirely invested emotionally and creatively, understanding what is required to create a sense of instant-nostalgia. It seems fair to say that the team really knows the sound of magic.
Hogwarts Legacy releases on February 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. A Nintendo Switch version is also in development.