Hogwarts Legacy 2 Likely To Be Live Service As WB Shifts Focus

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Avinash Jaisrani

At HI Digital I test and write about different hardware configurations to show other PC users what they can expect from their build. My end goal is to educate the masses to make the right decision when they are looking for new PC parts to buy

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Single-player games proved their worth last year, and leading the race was Warner Bros’ Hogwarts Legacy. Becoming 2023’s best-selling title, this Harry Potter RPG fully realized the Wizarding World’s potential, putting players in the role of a student at Hogwarts.

However, despite this success, Warner Bros is apprehensive about AAA single-player titles. Like other publishers, it remains interested in chasing live-service trends, potentially setting up the Hogwarts Legacy sequel to be a live-service title.

Why it matters: The industry is currently struggling to find a balance between traditional single-player and live-service releases, leading to a much bigger focus on the latter.

Speaking during a recent Media & Telecom Conference, JB Perrette, the CEO of Warner Bros Discovery Games, made his future intentions clear. The CEO is not interested in the volatile and inherently risky market of AAA games.

He pointed to two recent AAA releases from Warner Bros. Wihle Hogwarts Legacy was a standout success, Suicide Squad ended up a total failure, leading to wildly different projections for the gaming business from one year to another.

Pointing to Mortal Kombat, Harry Potter, DC, and Game of Thrones, he confirmed plans to pivot to free-to-play and Games-as-a-Service models to ensure players are constantly returning for a consistent revenue stream from these IPs.

What this means for Hogwarts Legacy is that Avalanche Software may already be approaching its sequel with a different mindset. While the first game was primarily a single-player release, multiplayer was always a highly requested feature.

Keeping Warner Bros’ new direction and these requests in mind, a live-service future for the IP appears all but confirmed. Furthermore, JB Perrette specifically pointed to Hogwarts Legacy as a potential franchise for a live-service future.

Rather than launching a one-and-done console game, how do we develop a game around, for example, Hogwarts Legacy that is a live-service?

-JB Perrette From Warner Bros

According to job listings, Avalanche Software has begun initial work on Hogwarts Legacy 2. Expected to utilize Unreal Engine 5, this game is likely to end up completely different from its predecessor.

Elsewhere, Warner Bros is also experimenting with other multiplayer spin-offs for the IP, including Quidditch Champions.

Warner Bros’ new approach is already clear in games like Mortal Kombat 1. While this series has always followed the typical live-service model, the latest entry has received flak for egregious microtransactions and a mobile-game-like store.

Fans can only hope the same does not happen to Hogwarts Legacy 2, but all signs are pointing in the live service direction.

Avinash Jaisrani

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