Hogwarts Legacy Sequel One of 'Biggest Priorities' at Warner Bros., Studio Says

Hogwarts Legacy was the highest selling game of 2023, with over 22 million copies sold by the end of the year.

Written by Manas Mitul | Updated: 5 September 2024 13:01 IST

Hogwarts Legacy Sequel One of 'Biggest Priorities' at Warner Bros., Studio Says

Photo Credit: Warner Bros. Games

Hogwarts Legacy was released on February 10, 2023

Highlights

Warner Bros. Games reported 41 percent YoY loss in Q2 2024
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League sold poorly
Warner Bros. Games released Quidditch Champions on September 3

Amid a 41 percent YoY decline in games revenue in the second quarter of 2024, the commercial disaster that was Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and reported layoffs, Warner Bros. needs a hit. And the publisher is reportedly looking at the Hogwarts Legacy sequel to deliver it for them. A follow up to the highest selling game of 2023 is one of the biggest priorities for the studio, a Warner Bros. Discovery executive said this week.

Hogwarts Legacy Sequel 'One of the Biggest Priorities' at WB

Speaking at a conference Wednesday (via Variety), Warner Bros. Discovery's chief financial officer Gunnar Wiedenfels said that a direct sequel to Hogwarts Legacy was a goal for the studio in the coming years.

“Obviously, a successor to ‘Hogwarts Legacy' is one of the biggest priorities in a couple of years down the road,” Wiedenfels reportedly said at the Bank of America's 2024 Media, Communications & Entertainment Conference. “So there is certainly a significant growth contribution from that [games] business in our strategic outlook here,” he added.

Warner Bros. Wants Other Studios to Make Games Based on Its Franchises

It's no surprise Warner Bros. Is setting high expectations with the Hogwarts Legacy sequel. The Wizarding World game from Avalanche Software was the biggest hit of 2023, selling over 22 million copies by the end of the year. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment president David Haddad had claimed earlier this year that the game sold two million copies during the Christmas holiday season alone.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Underwhelmed

Warner Bros. Games, however, has struggled to replicate — or even come near — that kind of success with its subsequent releases. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, the studio's tentpole triple-A launch this year, was a critical and commercial failure that led to the company taking a $200 million loss. “Games revenue declined significantly due to the success of Hogwarts Legacy in the prior year quarter, while this year's Q1 release of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League generated significantly lower revenues,” Warner Bros. said in its Q1 2024 earnings report.

In the second quarter of this year, Warner Bros. reported that its games revenue declined 41 percent YoY, primarily due to the weak performance of Suicide Squad. A live service looter-shooter, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League launched to middling reviews and low player interest from the outset. Players criticised the game's live service model, especially since developer Rocksteady is known for its high-quality single-player games from the Batman Arkham series.

Rocksteady Hit With Layoffs After Suicide Squad Sells Poorly: Report

In his latest comments, Wiedenfels also reportedly acknowledged that Suicide Squad was a “miss.”

Earlier this week, WB launched Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, another Wizarding World title focussed on the magical sport from the world of Harry Potter, across PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X.

Hogwarts Legacy

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Good
Excellent combat
Engaging story
Likeable cast of characters
Detailed world design

Bad
Tries to stuff in a lot
Lack of a companion system
Tedious inventory management

Read detailed Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Hogwarts Legacy review

Genre RPG

Platform Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 (PS4), PlayStation 5 (PS5), Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PC: Windows

Modes Single-player

Series Wizarding World

PEGI Rating 12+

More Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Games

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Good
Fun traversal
Interesting story premise
Likeable cast of characters
Chaotic combat
Kevin Conroy's Batman

Bad
Repetitive missions
Grindy gameplay
Live service fatigue
Unimaginative boss fights
Unsatisfying story

Read detailed Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League review

Genre Action-Adventure

Platform PlayStation 5 (PS5), Xbox Series S/X, PC: Windows

Modes Single-player, Multiplayer

Series Batman: Arkham

PEGI Rating 18+

More Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Games

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Further reading: Hogwarts Legacy, Warner Bros, Warner Bros Games, Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League

Manas Mitul

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In his time as a journalist, Manas Mitul has written on a wide spectrum of beats including politics, culture and sports. He enjoys reading, walking around in museums and rewatching films. Talk to Manas about football and tennis, but maybe don’t bring up his video game backlog. More