Hogwarts Legacy’s sequel is looming on the horizon, and, frankly, rather ominously. What should be a highly anticipated game has turned into a bit of a horror story shared among the community, as Warner Bros. has heavily implied it could end up being a live service experience. The words live service attached to any game send shivers down our spines, but the idea of turning 2023’s most successful single-player game into a multiplayer experience is understandably dread-inducing.
In fact, people’s fear of Warner Bros. turning the sequel into a live service experience got so bad that there was a hugely popular Hogwarts Legacy petition intended to convince the studio to keep it as a single-player game. I also agree with the sentiment that Hogwarts Legacy should remain a strictly single-player series. Well, partially. As much as I hate live service games and wish, more than anything, that multiplayer games as they exist right now would die, there is something about a live service Hogwarts Legacy game that really appeals to me, at least under the right circumstances.
A Hogwarts Legacy Live Service Game Could Work
It Makes Sense Under Certain Circumstances
It very much seems like Hogwarts Legacy 2 will be a live service game. Numerous Hogwarts Legacy leaks and rumors have pointed to this being the case, as well as Warner Bros. itself heavily implying that it intends to turn the sequel into a multiplayer-focused experience. During a now-unavailable Morgan Stanley speaking event, the CEO and president of global streaming and games at Warner Bros., JB Perrette, explained how he believes games shouldn’t be one-and-done, but rather should be live service. He went on to explain that:
“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?” he said.
Considering how disastrous Warner Bros. live-service games have been, especially with the likes of both MultiVersus and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League being major hundred-million-dollar flops, many are wary of Hogwarts Legacy going down the same path. Live service games also have a negative stigma around them. This is largely thanks to their endless and often unfinished nature, reliance on frequently predatory microtransactions, and overuse of basic activities to pad out what would otherwise be a generally solid single-player experience.
So, with all that in mind, one would assume that a Hogwarts Legacy live service game would be a terrible idea. It feels like a money sink for Warner Bros. as the community, or at least a vocal minority, is actively against the idea, and its efforts in the past have been met with consistent failure. Unless Warner Bros. can suddenly build the world’s greatest live service experience, which I’m somewhat doubtful about considering the tumultuous development of Suicide Squad and WB’s endless interference, a Hogwarts Legacy live service game will be bad.
As much as I do genuinely believe that would be the case under the wrong circumstances, I do think there is potential for a Hogwarts Legacy multiplayer game with some live service elements. One of the worst parts of Hogwarts Legacy is how little replayability there is, thanks to the lack of role-playing options or unique ways of interacting with its content. A live service game, or at least a version that allows for huge numbers of players to inhabit Hogwarts Legacy’s enormous world, would be incredible. After all, isn’t multiplayer Harry Potter the ultimate goal?
Hogwarts Legacy With Friends Would Be Amazing
Multiplayer Harry Potter Has Always Been The Dream
When I was younger, I remember playing a Harry Potter Garry’s Mod roleplaying server in which dozens, if not hundreds, of people roamed around getting up to no good, attending classes, and generally mucking around in the mod’s wonderfully cozy rendition of Hogwarts. The mod felt like the ultimate dream, a way to not only engage with Hogwarts unlike ever before, but also to do it with friends and strangers alike, completely simulating the experience showcased in the books. It was a dream come true for me and my friends, and since then, I’ve always dreamed of something similar.
Hogwarts Legacy must break its format in order to offer the experience fans have wanted from the very start, and switching to a live service model could help with that. Of course, no one wants microtransactions that ruin the game or endless boring content that is designed to keep you glued to your screen all day, every day. However, a Hogwarts Legacy game that revolves around roleplaying with a large group of players, with community-based activities and maybe the odd cosmetic to help keep the servers alive, could absolutely work.
It wouldn’t have to be predatory, although one has to expect it to be in some way, but could instead be designed around fostering inclusive and fun communities that want nothing more than to finally be a student at Hogwarts.
It would finally realize the dream of a more structured multiplayer Harry Potter experience, one more akin to an MMO with the trappings that make modern live service titles so appealing. It wouldn’t have to be predatory, although one has to expect it to be in some way, but could instead be designed around fostering inclusive and fun communities that want nothing more than to finally be a student at Hogwarts. I’m being a little idealistic, I know, but that game, I suspect, would draw in a lot of players and undoubtedly make a lot of money for Warner Bros.
The Next Hogwarts Legacy Game Shouldn’t Be Live Service
It Should Be A Single-Player Experience
However, as much as I think a live service Hogwarts Legacy game can work, I don’t believe it should be the next entry. Another single-player adventure that builds upon the mechanics and foundations of the first game makes the most sense, as there is still a lot of room for growth and improvement. Players are also still not ready for a purely multiplayer experience, and rightfully so. Instead, I believe live service elements should either be gradually introduced to the sequel, much like how Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 handles its live service content, or in a spin-off game.
While previous live-service Harry Potter games have been unsuccessful, to say the least, a spin-off Hogwarts Legacy game or a multiplayer mode found within the base game could work as a way of separating the experiences and ensuring everyone is happy. Hogwarts Legacy isn’t strong enough on its own to serve as the sole single-player experience, so a sequel must come with an enhanced, dedicated, and handcrafted single-player story, much like GTA 5.
Related
Hogwarts Legacy 2 Has The Chance To Right One Of The Original’s Biggest Wrongs
One of the biggest letdowns of Hogwarts Legacy was the lack of playable Quidditch, and it might be a dealbreaker if the sequel doesn’t include it.
Then, a few months later, Warner Bros. could announce the live service component or spin-off that more or less takes the ideas established in the sequel and builds upon them, while also receiving new content and ideas over the years. If that were to ever be shut down, the single-player mode would serve as a way of continuing to access that world, ensuring that its legacy can live on. It is the perfect middle ground that ensures that everyone is catered to, including Warner Bros.’ wallet, and Hogwarts Legacy finally delivers the ultimate Harry Potter fantasy.
Source: Morgan Stanley
Hogwarts Legacy
- 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
