Hogwarts Legacy 2 Can Have Its Cake and Eat It Too

Hogwarts Legacy 2 Can Have Its Cake and Eat It Too

Unprecedented successes like Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone have 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, MultiVersus failed to meet expectations as well. But despite this, Warner Bros. still seems keen on pushing forward with the live-service model, and that could have a major effect on Hogwarts Legacy 2.

While it hasn’t been officially announced just yet, a sequel to Hogwarts Legacy seems 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 chance Hogwarts Legacy 2 will 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 way Hogwarts Legacy 2 can have its cake and eat it too.

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Hogwarts Legacy 2 May Only Have One Way to Justify a First-Year Protagonist

Hogwarts Legacy adopts a rather unexpectedly adult tone, and its sequel would have to change that if it went down a rumored narrative route.

Hogwarts Legacy 2 Could Offer The Best of Both Worlds

Hogwarts Legacy 2’s Story Should Be Another Solo Adventure

Hogwarts Legacy didn’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 like Call of Duty: Warzone, Fortnite, and now Marvel Rivals all 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 of Hogwarts 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-service Hogwarts Legacy sequel 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 story should 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 of live-service in Hogwarts Legacy 2. A live-service multiplayer mode, completely separate from the sequel’s main story, could give fans the co-op Harry Potter experience they’ve wanted for years.

While it’d be difficult to create and maintain, a GTA Online-like Hogwarts Legacy mode 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 make the world of Hogwarts Legacy 2 feel like a living, breathing place, with regular updates adding new NPCs, questlines, and activities, along with changing seasons.

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