Highlights

  • Hogwarts Legacy's groundbreaking financial success ensures that a sequel is almost guaranteed.
  • The game's sales exceeded expectations, outselling other popular franchises like Call of Duty and Madden.
  • The Harry Potter IP played a significant role in the success of Hogwarts Legacy, appealing to both casual and hardcore gamers.

Avalanche Software managed to prove itself as a talent-laden studio capable of producing an ambitious AAA game with the release of Hogwarts Legacy. Although Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment hasn't made an official announcement regarding a sequel, Hogwarts Legacy's groundbreaking financial success effectively ensures that the game will be getting a follow-up at some point.

Hogwarts Legacy's release was an undeniable win for Warner Bros. and Avalanche Software. The game, despite not being nominated for any Game Awards and receiving criticism for both its design and the transphobic stances adopted by J.K. Rowling, managed to outsell every other new release in 2023, beating ubiquitous franchises like Call of Duty and Madden by a significant margin. Even The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, one of the most highly anticipated games of the last few years, was overshadowed by Hogwarts Legacy, at least regarding overall sales. The idea that Warner Bros. isn't planning to capitalize on this resounding success is almost inconceivable.

Hogwarts Legacy Booked 2024
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Hogwarts Legacy Could Have a Completely Booked 2024

Hogwarts Legacy was a sales juggernaut in 2023 and Warner Bros. has plans to expand it with even more content as 2024 begins, so that is great news.

Hogwarts Legacy 2 Is Almost Guaranteed as a Sure Thing

Hogwarts Legacy character receiving a wand

The Runaway Success of Hogwarts Legacy

Those unfamiliar with the game may look at things like Hogwarts Legacy's absence from The Game Awards and the somewhat mixed reception from critics and assume that it was merely a middling success. However, this could not be further from the truth, as evidenced by the game's mammoth sales. Indeed, if games were still an exclusively physical medium, it's easy to imagine retailers struggling to meet consumer demand for Hogwarts Legacy.

While supporters of the game will cite elements such as its environment design, combat and traversal gameplay, or narrative as reasons for its success, there are likely other factors to consider. Arguably the most significant contributor to Hogwarts Legacy's multi-platform success is the Harry Potter IP itself.

In truth, it's hard to believe that the idea of a Harry Potter RPG, wherein players can create their own custom character and attend Hogwarts themselves, wasn't realized earlier. This strong premise allowed Hogwarts Legacy to appeal to both casual and hardcore gamers alike, and the massive Harry Potter fanbase was more than ready to jump into a game promising to deliver the Hogwarts fantasy.

What Hogwarts Legacy 2 Might Look Like Now

Given the franchise potential of Hogwarts Legacy, it's probably only a matter of time until Warner Bros. unveils its plans for a sequel. The next game in the series, especially if it improves elements of the first Hogwarts Legacy, has a good chance of being welcomed with open arms, as many consumers are eager to jump back into the Wizarding World.

That said, it will be interesting to see just how Warner Bros. and Avalanche decide to tackle the next game, as it could be a direct sequel or something more akin to a spinoff, taking players to a new corner of the game's universe. It's also worth noting that Hogwarts Legacy was something entirely new for Avalanche, so the development of a sequel could be smoother thanks to not only the existing framework and assets from the first game but also the studio's newfound experience with the open-world RPG genre.

Hogwarts Legacy has come under heavy fire due to its inextricable connection to J.K. Rowling. Controversies and boycotts could resurface and impact the marketing, release, and sales of a sequel.

It may not carry the same prestige as gamer-favorite franchises like Zelda or Dark Souls, but it cannot be argued that Hogwarts Legacy has been a success by just about every financial metric. While this was not necessarily hard to predict, it would seem that the game exceeded sales expectations, so not developing a sequel would be leaving money on the table.