After the smash-hit success of the first title, a sequel to Hogwarts Legacy was inevitable. There’s a very clear market for more adventures in the Wizarding World and Avalanche Software has its work cut out for it when crafting the follow-up to one of the highest-selling games in recent years.
But there may be one major roadblock standing in the way of Hogwarts Legacy 2’s success. The first game was a whimsical journey through a full academic year at the iconic school and a large part of its charm was how complete the whole thing felt. But with recent rumors that a sequel might embrace a live-service model, there could end up being a controversy that could hamper the sequel’s ability to strike the same chord.
Hogwarts Legacy 2 Live-Service Rumors Could Spell Trouble for the Game's Future
Live-Service In Hogwarts Legacy Sequel Might Upset Existing Fans
WB’s announcement regarding its renewed focus on live-service games could be a ticking time bomb for Hogwarts Legacy 2. The first game in the series was very much an open-and-shut single-player experience. Fans were shocked that, even after the title’s groundbreaking success, there wasn’t any additional story DLC waiting in the wings. In that way, Hogwarts Legacy was very much a throwback to older eras in gaming, which, when combined with the Harry Potter IP, likely compounded fans’ nostalgia several times over.
Hogwarts Legacy remains one of WB' most successful endeavors in recent memory. And with the live-service efforts of MultiVersus and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League leaving much to be desired, it’s not unwarranted to think that WB would try to parlay some of that Hogwarts success into a live-service model. And while that may seem like a smart business move on paper, fans aren’t keen on it, as evidenced by the petition asking WB to avoid live-service elements in Hogwarts Legacy 2.
The biggest appeal of Hogwarts Legacy was its immersion. From the moment the player boots up the game for the first time until they get the platinum trophy, they feel fully enveloped in the Wizarding World. A common concern many fans have is that adding live-service elements, especially multiplayer, will negatively impact the Hogwarts fantasy. While the concept of running around these iconic locations with friends seems like it would be a slam dunk, getting it to work in an online environment with hundreds of players would be difficult; maybe impossible.
Finding a Middle Ground Might Be Best for WB Games
No matter the reasoning, the vast majority of the community seems not to be in favor of this change. Between the ongoing petition and widespread online sentiment, many fans are firmly against the idea of a sequel adopting a live-service model. If WB follows through with making the next Hogwarts game something along the lines of Destiny or Suicide Squad, it could be a massive point of friction within the community, and could even end up hurting Hogwarts Legacy 2's overall sales. The best course of action would probably be something of a happy medium.
“Live service” doesn’t necessarily have to mean multiplayer, it just means continued content rolled out for the game. That’s exactly what a lot of Hogwarts Legacy players wanted in the first game in the form of DLCs adding things like Quidditch, more spells, and more side missions to complete. This never materialized but the demand was still very much there. If WB plays it smart with what type of post-launch content it produces for Hogwarts Legacy 2, it can avoid controversies altogether.
While fans are understandably apprehensive about the idea of live-service elements creeping into their immersive story-based series, there are strategic, non-intrusive ways it can be done. Cosmetic content could provide additional robes, wands, and beast companions, for example. The best thing WB could do would be reasonably-priced story DLC that gives fans more of those character interactions they loved so much from the first game. Because story and character really were at the forefront of Hogwarts Legacy, and if a sequel needs to lean into live-service content, it should ultimately be in service to those things that made the first game so beloved.
Hogwarts Legacy
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 84 /100 Critics Rec: 88%
- Released
- February 10, 2023
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Avalanche Software
- Publisher(s)
- Warner Bros. Games
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Cross-Platform Play
- Hogwarts Legacy doesn't have crossplay or crossplatform support
- Cross Save
- you can freely use your saved data between each console as long as you are connected to the internet and signed into the same account where the saved data was created
WHERE TO PLAY
- Franchise
- Harry Potter
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC
- How Long To Beat
- 26 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- yes
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
