Unprecedented successes likeFortniteandCall of Duty: Warzonehave tempted many publishers over the last few years to embark on their own live-service ventures. While a handful have succeeded, Warner Bros. has repeatedly missed the mark, sometimes in quite dramatic fashion.Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s painfully drawn-out death has been an ongoing news story throughout the year, and according to a recent WB financial report,MultiVersusfailed to meet expectationsas well. But despite this, Warner Bros. still seems keen on pushing forward with the live-service model, and that could have a major effect onHogwarts Legacy 2.
While it hasn’t been officially announced just yet, a sequel toHogwarts Legacyseems like a matter of when, not if, with the first entry being the highest-selling game of 2023. When it does apppear, there’s a somewhat strong chanceHogwarts Legacy 2will be a live-service game, and given Warner Bros.' recent track-record, that possibility is making a lot of fans anxious. But there is a wayHogwarts Legacy 2can have its cake and eat it too.
Hogwarts Legacy 2 Could Offer The Best of Both Worlds
Hogwarts Legacy 2’s Story Should Be Another Solo Adventure
Hogwarts Legacydidn’t have the strongest narrative in gaming, but it still had some exciting moments, a few engaging twists and turns, and plenty of fan-service.Hogwarts Legacy’s story also had a defined beginning, middle, and end, which is something live-service games don’t tend to have.
Live-service titles likeCall of Duty: Warzone,Fortnite, and nowMarvel Rivalsall have ongoing narratives that evolve with each new season of content. These stories are often told through in-game events, brief snippets of dialogue, and the occasional cinematic that accompanies a seasonal update. Ongoing narratives can be a great way to keep players invested in the game’s lore and setting, but they can just as easily put players off from engaging with the story altogether, as they know it’ll have no clear endpoint anytime soon.
Another highlight ofHogwarts Legacy’s story was that players could tackle it at their own pace, being able to bounce between the main quest, side objectives, and open-world exploration whenever they desired. A live-serviceHogwarts Legacysequel might not allow for the same type of player-freedom. Though Warner Bros. has continued to express a desire to insert live-service elements into its future video game projects,Hogwarts Legacy 2’s storyshould remain a strictly solo adventure.
A Live-Service Multiplayer Mode Could Work Well for Hogwarts Legacy 2
But that doesn’t mean Warner Bros. couldn’t implement a different kind oflive-service inHogwarts Legacy 2. A live-service multiplayer mode, completely separate from the sequel’s main story, could give fans the co-opHarry Potterexperience they’ve wanted for years.
While it’d be difficult to create and maintain, aGTA Online-likeHogwarts Legacymode could do exceptionally well. Players could attend classes, level up and learn spells, embark on quests, hunt and capture magical beasts, and slay fantastical monsters together. If implemented properly, the live-service model could also makethe world ofHogwarts Legacy 2feel like a living, breathing place, with regular updates adding new NPCs, questlines, and activities, along with changing seasons.
Hogwarts Legacy
WHERE TO PLAY
Hogwarts Legacy is an immersive, open-world action RPG set in the world first introduced in the Harry Potter books. For the first time, experience Hogwarts in the 1800s. Your character is a student who holds the key to an ancient secret that threatens to tear the wizarding world apart. Now you may take control of the action and be at the center of your own adventure in the wizarding world. Your legacy is what you make of it.Explore an Open WorldThe wizarding world awaits you. Freely roam Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, the Forbidden Forest, and the surrounding Overland area.Be the Witch or Wizard You Want to beLearn spells, brew potions, grow plants, and tend to magical beasts along your journey. Get sorted into your house, forge relationships, and master skills to become the witch or wizard you want to be Experience a New Wizarding World AdventureExperience the wizarding world in an unexplored era to uncover a hidden truth from its past. Battle against trolls, Dark Wizards, goblins, and more as you face a dangerous villain threatening the fate of the wizarding world.
