Mohamed Hassan 
The internet has been abuzz over apparent hints that Hogwarts Legacy 2 might be a free-to-play, mobile, or live-service game, but is this actually true?
Hogwarts Legacy 2 has not been officially confirmed to be in development, but a prominent film industry leaker stated in September 2023 that a “Hogwarts Legacy sequel is in the works.” This comes as little surprise, as Hogwarts Legacy has sold 22 million copies since launch and became the best-selling game of its release year.
The sequel may have also been teased by the studio itself in job listings, including references to an unannounced AAA game. But even if the sequel it’s unclear what fans will actually get from it as the company’s latest statements sent mixed signals about the series’ future.
Is Hogwarts Legacy 2 a live-service mobile game?
There’s no official confirmation that Hogwarts Legacy 2 is a live-service game. However, Warner Bros expressed interest in creating more mobile and free-to-play games based on its popular IPs.
During a recent Morgan Stanley speaking event, WB Discovery games boss JB Perrette spoke about the company’s strategy going forward. He said he was skeptical about seeing a repeat of Hogwarts Legacy’s success after witnessing the failure of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and that the game market is volatile. His plan to reduce that volatility is bringing some of the company’s core franchises to mobile and free-to-play markets.
“Rather than just launching a one-and-done console game, how do we develop a game around, for example, a Hogwarts Legacy or Harry Potter, that is a live service where people can live and work and build and play in that world in an ongoing basis?” Perette stated.
He added that these new ventures don’t necessarily mean that WB will end its AAA single-player efforts, but that the company’s approach to the console game industry will be more measured.
Of course, Perette’s vision is easier said than done. Many other studios have failed to successfully make the pivot to live-service multiplayer games. WB’s efforts are notable because of how aggressive the company can be with monetization.
A title like Mortal Kombat 1, which is not a live-service game by design, has increased the number of microtransactions significantly. CEO David Zaslav said in an earnings call that he wanted to turn more of WB’s biggest franchises to be the foundation for live games with free-to-play expansions.
WB Games has received persistent criticism, but doubled down on the monetization plans with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. PlayStation started refunding players who bought the game.
This doesn’t confirm that Hogwarts Legacy 2 will be a live-service or mobile game. In fact, Harry Potter’s most easy-to-monetize aspect, Quidditch, is already being made into a separate game called Quidditch Champions. So WB may be experimenting with this title instead of trying risky new things with the main series.
There’s still no confirmed release date for Quidditch Champions or any information on how the game might turn out.
