Hogwarts Legacy’s sequel has felt somewhat doomed since it was first believed to be in production. It isn’t because the first game left such a horrible foundation for a sequel, as that couldn’t be further from the truth. Nor is it because a sequel feels unwarranted or undeserved, as, again, there’s plenty of scope for improvement that many fans of both the Harry Potter IP and Hogwarts Legacy itself would like to see.

Rather, Hogwarts Legacy 2 is doomed because of its rumored live service features, the kind that have stunted the success of numerous Warner Bros. games in just the past few years. Many detractors, myself somewhat included, already believe that Hogwarts Legacy 2 will fail upon launch if it does indeed launch with live service elements. That fear is compounded by another Harry Potter game, one that died a very quick death, serving as a bad omen for HL2’s future.

Hogwarts Legacy 2 Could Be In Trouble

It Being A Live Service Could Hurt It

I’ve talked a lot about how Hogwarts Legacy 2 being a live service game is a mistake – admittedly, I’ve also said that live service could benefit HL2. It is hard not to look at both the general downward spiral of the live service genre, as well as Warner Bros. track record with them and not feel as if the cons outweigh the pros. Bloating Hogwarts Legacy 2 with microtransactions and a constant flurry of new content not only sounds dreadful, but also doesn’t really work within the context of each game taking place over one school year.

Perhaps more importantly, at least to me anyway, Hogwarts Legacy’s identity was tarnished because it spent too long chasing trends and attempting to ape the formulas of its contemporaries, rather than doing something new. Hogwarts Legacy 2 needs changes, and lots of them, but crucially in the direction of something original, instead of, once again, copying what’s popular. HL2 being a live service game feels as if it fits the Warner Bros. ethos, rather than making it the unique school-sim RPG it should have always been.

However, Hogwarts Legacy 2’s potential foray into the world of live service is doomed because Warner Bros. has already proven it has no idea how to effectively position a Harry Potter game within that format. WB has tried once before, although you may not have even registered it as it failed practically the moment it was released. Of course, I’m talking about the ill-fated Quidditch Champions.

Quidditch Champions Proves The Harry Potter IP Isn’t Enough

It Has Been A Huge Flop

Quidditch Champions’ glowing reviews made it seem as if Warner Bros. had finally hit the jackpot with one of its many IPs. It offered a compelling arcade sports experience within the Harry Potter universe; played on the nostalgia of those who thoroughly enjoyed the GameCube classic, Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup; and had relatively fair monetization that was neither too predatory nor too dull. Simply put, Quidditch Champions had everything going for it.

Yet, under a year later, Quidditch Champions’ abysmal player count reveals that absolutely no one was interested in it, no matter how good it was. Of course, it is hard to tell what aspect of the game people didn’t resonate with. It could have been the fact that it was a premium product rather than free-to-play. Additionally, many likely didn’t resonate with the live service elements. However, I’m somewhat inclined to believe that the Harry Potter brand is just far less of a draw than it once was.

Regardless, Warner Bros. has yet again failed to launch a successful live service game, even despite the brand recognition and apparent quality backing it. That makes me immediately worried about Hogwarts Legacy 2’s future, especially if it ends up being a live service title. It will almost certainly feature all the same roadblocks that prevented Quidditch Champions from being a success. The only advantage it has is the fact that Hogwarts Legacy was 2023’s biggest game, but even that may not be enough.

Warner Bros. Doesn’t Know How To Make A Live Service Game

It Has Failed Multiple Times Now

Warner Bros. has proven time and time again that it has no idea what it is doing when it comes to live service titles. First, there was its $200 million live service flop, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, a game that was banking on the popularity of both its titular DC characters, as well as the goodwill its developer earned from its Arkham series. Then, it dropped the platform fighter MultiVersus, which was taken down, re-released, and swiftly taken down again.

Quidditch Champions will almost certainly suffer the same fate as Warner Bros. has seemingly no interest in supporting it for much longer. Yet, despite a string of obvious failures, Warner Bros. is keen to continue. Hogwarts Legacy 2 could be the next nail in the Warner Bros. live service coffin, or, it could go down the route everyone wants it to and be a single-player experience like its predecessor that builds upon its strong foundation.

I’m doubtful we’ll see quite that version of Hogwarts Legacy 2, or at least the version I really want – just give me Persona set in the Wizarding World. However, I sincerely hope that Warner Bros. learns, at least with Hogwarts Legacy 2, that live service is not the only possible avenue it can take. Quidditch Champions failed, so that Hogwarts Legacy 2 could succeed. Warner Bros. should not let it die in vain just to make a few extra bucks off the back of the Hogwarts Legacy name.

Hogwarts Legacy

Systems

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. Interactive

Engine

Unreal Engine 4