Summary
Hogwarts Legacygarnered both critical acclaim and commercial success when it launched in 2023, becoming the best-selling game of 2023. It drew in a huge number of fans, both of the originalHarry Potterbooks and movies and of just open-world games in general. Since then, fans have been excitedly anticipating its sequel,Hogwarts Legacy 2, although they have a lot to say about its overall direction.
Thanks to a handful of missteps from Warner Bros., especially in regard to its approach to live service titles and its much-maligned live service game,Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League,fans have grown concerned aboutHogwarts Legacy 2potentially being made a live service title. This led a group of fans toset up aHogwarts Legacy 2petitionto prevent it from becoming a live service game, and that petition has continued to gain thousands of signatures in recent months.
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Hogwarts Legacy 2 Petition Demands It Avoids Becoming A Live Service Game
Hogwarts Legacy Fans Don’t Want Another Live Service Mess
In March 2024, the head of games at Warner Bros., J.B. Perrette, spoke at a Morgan Stanley event and told fans that the company was interested in developing more live service titles. Specifically, as reported byGameSpot,Perrette discussed turning a game likeHogwarts Legacyinto a live service experience. He posited that one-and-done games could be changed into something more ongoing, stating:
“Rather than just launching a one-and-done console game, how do we develop a game around, for example, aHogwarts LegacyorHarry Potter, that is a live-service where people can live and work and build and play in that world in an ongoing basis?”
These comments are what sparkedHogwarts Legacyfan Kevin Malcom to start a petitiononChange.orgdemanding thatHogwarts Legacy 2isn’t turned into a live service experience. The petition states thatHogwarts Legacywas a fun game to begin with specifically because it is a single-player experience and that “people don’t want a live service filled with microtransactions and a forced grind.” There is truth to these statements, asHogwarts Legacywas such an incredibly reviewed gamebecause of its huge single-player offering and expert recreation of Hogwarts and its surroundings.
The petition goes on to ask Avalanche Software employees to fight back against Warner Bros., especially against its exploitative business practices. So far, the petition is close to reaching its goal of 10,000 signatures, with dozens of players signing it every day in the hopes that it will change the minds of Warner Bros. It is clear that there is both a fear and hatred of live service games and ofHogwarts Legacy 2heading in that direction.
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Hogwarts Legacy 2 Should Not Become A Live Service Game
Despite Warner Bros.’s insistence that everything should be a live service game, its history with the genre hasn’t been incredibly successful. It did find moderate, but still underwhelming, success with its platform fighterMultiVersus, although that has seemingly vanished from the zeitgeist. However,its attempt at shoehorning live service elements intoSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leagueproved to be fatalnot only for that game’s narrative and overall game flow but for its future, too.
According toSteamDB,Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguehas an all-time peak player count of just 13,459, with its 24-hour peaks rarely hitting above 200 players. That’s exceptionally low for a triple-A release, especially when compared toHogwarts Legacy, a single-player title that still pulls in between 4,000 and 10,000 players daily on Steam and has an all-time peak player count of 879,308.It’s clear, by these Steam numbers alone, why Warner Bros. would want to milk the Hogwarts Legacy franchise for all it’s worth, but making it a live service game would end in disaster.
These player numbers are for Steam only and don’t take into account the player counts on other platforms, such as Xbox and PlayStation. However, the Steam player numbers are usually a good indication of a game’s overall performance.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguewas developed by Rocksteady Studios, who had developed the beloved single-playerBatman Arkhamseries, and was based on a series of characters that were popularized thanks to James Gunn’sThe Suicide Squad. It should have easily garnered a huge fanbase from the outset thanks to the pedigree of its developer and brand, but, thanks toits exceptionally low review scores, and reportedly middling gameplay, it tanked.Warner Bros. has admitted toSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’sfailure many times, saying, as reported byIGN, that it “has fallen short of our expectations.”
Will Hogwarts Legacy 2 Be A Live Service Game?
Fans Hope A Hogwarts Legacy Sequel Remains Single-Player
It is certainly possible thatHogwarts Legacy 2will be made a live service gameor at least include live service elements. However, while there isplenty thatHogwarts Legacy 2should borrow from other games, it should not be a live service game. Warner Bros. has proven that it doesn’t know what the best approach to creating a compelling live service experience is, and Avalanche Software’s lack of experience with the genre, outside the now defunctDisney Infinity, is a further reason why it should remain a solely single-player experience.
While it’s unclear whether thisHogwarts Legacy 2petition will change anything, it’s definitive proof that there is a call forHogwarts Legacy 2to avoid the same fate that befellSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. IfHogwarts Legacy 2is to succeed, it should stick to what it does best and offer a fun and magical narrative-driven single-player experience. However, for now, all fans like Kevin Malcom have to go off of is hope that aHogwarts Legacysequel will deliver as the first game did.
Editor’s Note: Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling has been accused of transphobia by those in the LGBTQ+ community. Although not directly involved in the development of Hogwarts Legacy, Rowling does stand to earn royalties from the game. We would like to reiterate our support for trans rights and that trans identities are valid. Support services are listed below for trans people impacted by discussions of transphobia.
