Hogwarts Legacy’senormous success, both critically and financially, made it one of the best-selling games of 2023, even managing to surpass the annualCall of Dutyrelease that year. Whether or not you enjoyed it or even played it, it is hard to deny thatHogwarts Legacywas one of the defining games of 2023, at least within the blockbuster space. So, it stands to reason that players expected DLC for it at some point, especially considering its ending left plenty of room open for more story content if they wanted to add it in.
However,despite its hugely lucrative financial success, Warner Bros. announced no DLC forHogwarts Legacy, with the game’s developer even stating that there were never plans for DLC in the first place. Fortunately, a long while later, rumors began circulating of aHogwarts Legacy Definitive Edition, which would add15 hours of additional content. Of course, that was never to last, as rumors now claim that it has been canceled. This rollercoaster of events has been frustrating for fans, but, frankly, it is completely understandable from Warner Bros.’s perspective.
Hogwarts Legacy’s DLC Has Allegedly Been Canceled
Warner Bros. Has Reportedly Shut It Down
The already unconfirmed Hogwarts Legacy DLC has reportedly beencanceled by Warner Bros., according to reputable sourceBloomberg. It is a situation that feels as disjointed as it does disappointing, but one that will understandably upset fans. That is especially true considering the rather bizarre reason Warner Bros. allegedly gave for canceling the project: a dispute on pricing. According to the report, Warner Bros. felt the target price wasn’t fair considering the lack of content, something that brings into question whether the previously reported 15 hours of extra content was accurate.
Of course, one can wonder why Warner Bros. didn’t just consider lowering the price point for what would have undoubtedly been anexciting Hogwarts Legacy DLC, regardless of content length. However, considering just how many people it had brought onboard to make it - Rocksteady, the folks behind the Batman Arkham games, and the recently maligned Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, were reported to have been reassigned to the Hogwarts Legacy Definitive Edition project - and the rising costs of video game development, perhaps Warner Bros. felt it couldn’t justify a lower price either.
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Regardless, the DLC has very likely been canceled, and there’s nothing we can do about it. However,as disappointing as this whole bizarre situation may be, it is potentially for the best.Hogwarts Legacydidn’t need DLC, not at this stage anyway, so pouring more resources into it could have been a waste. It also feels like Warner Bros. perhaps cottoned onto this, which is why I believe it canceled the DLC in the first place. It was unlikely to truly be the DLC’s price but rather its relevancy in 2025.
I Understand Why Warner Bros. Canceled Hogwarts Legacy’s DLC
It Was Just Too Late
It bears remembering thatHogwarts Legacylaunched all the way back in February 2023. It is over two years old now, and while that isn’t particularly momentous in the grand scheme of things, it is long enough forHogwarts Legacyto somewhat leave the zeitgeist. WhileHogwarts Legacy’sinitial reviewswere extremely glowing, opinions on the game have somewhat relaxed, with players already lamenting its lackluster story and missed potential. That’s not to say thatHogwarts Legacyis bad, but rather that it isn’t getting the universal praise it once was.
Even were the game to still be as beloved as it was at launch, and even were the DLC to focus on anobviousHogwarts Legacystoryline,the distance between launch may be too great to compel players to return. Few games have released DLC after such a significant amount of time and seen meaningful investment in return - the only notable example, outside of games that released a second or third piece of DLC multiple years later, isCyberpunk 2077.Hogwarts Legacyreleasing new DLC or a Definitive Edition among 2025’s best games could render it a financial disappointment.
This is also coupled with the fact thatHogwarts Legacy’sdeveloper stated at launch that there were no plans for DLC, which set an expectation that fans shouldn’t be waiting for it.
This is also coupled with the fact thatHogwarts Legacy’sdeveloper stated at launch that there wereno plans for DLC, which set an expectation that fans shouldn’t be waiting for it. People have long moved on, somaking a piece of DLC or a whole new edition of the game could be a poor investment of time and resources, especially if it is detracting from the team creating the game’s long-awaited sequel. In reality, there were plenty of reasons for Warner Bros. to cancelHogwarts Legacy’sDLC; it was only a matter of time.
Hogwarts Legacy Should Have Planned DLC From The Start
Warner Bros. Should Have Anticipated It Being A Success
This has revealed the sheer ridiculousness of Warner Bros. not preemptingHogwarts Legacy’senormous successand having DLC prepared long in advance. While it is understandable and commendable that Avalanche wanted to ensure that the last-gen and Nintendo Switch versions of the game were ready to go for their delayed launches, it has evidently come at the expense of future content for this extremely beloved game.It is also somewhat baffling thatHogwarts Legacynever got any meaningful content updatesoutside a photo mode and a handful of patches.
All of this points to the potential mismanagement of Warner Bros. Games, a division that made Rocksteady create a live service game instead of sticking to what it is good at, is insistent on makingHogwarts Legacya live servicedespite it garnering impressive commercial and critical success as a single-player, microtransactionless experience, and recently shut down three studios, including the incredible Monolith - which was responsible for the hugely successfulShadow of Mordorseries - and Player First Games, which had developed the now defunct live service game,MultiVersus.
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One can hope that it doesn’t make the same mistake withHogwarts Legacy 2, but at this point, it is hard to tell. I have every faith that the sequel can build upon the incredible foundations laid down by its predecessor, but further mishandling could see that come crashing down. Ultimately, the cancelation of its DLC makes sense, considering the sheer amount of time that has passed since its original release date. However, hopefully, this teaches Warner Bros. to invest in DLC long before the eventual release date ofHogwarts Legacy’ssequel.
