In a recent podcast, gaming journalist Jason Schreier shared doubts about the next Hogwarts Legacy game living up to the success of the first one. He thinks the initial excitement for a new Harry Potter game has already been met, so it might be harder for the sequel to create the same hype.

Why it matters: Hogwarts Legacy was a huge commercial hit. Matching that level of success would be an enormous challenge for the sequel.

Few games have created as much excitement as Hogwarts Legacy. Launched in early 2023, this open-world RPG set in the Harry Potter world quickly became a massive success, selling over 30 million copies.

However, as talks about a possible sequel grow, Jason Schreier has questioned whether a follow-up could ever match the incredibly high expectations set by the first game.

There’s no way that it [Hogwarts Legacy 2] meets those same levels of expectations because the hunger for a new Harry Potter game is so not there anymore. It’s been satiated.

-Jason Schreier

Initially, Hogwarts Legacy kept its promise, letting players create their own characters, attend classes, visit famous spots like Hogwarts Castle and Hogsmeade, and even fly on broomsticks or tame magical creatures.

But now that players have lived this dream, the big question is: what can a sequel bring that’s new? Developers might add more storylines, new characters, or extra areas to explore, but the magic of stepping into the Wizarding World for the first time has already happened.

Hogwarts Legacy’s success came from fulfilling years of fans’ hopes for a top-quality Harry Potter game. But now that this dream has been realized, a sequel might find it harder to create the same kind of excitement. Hogwarts Legacy
Moreover, fans were also concerned that WB Games’ focus on live-service features might affect the Hogwarts Legacy sequel. This led to a petition asking the developers to avoid live-service elements, which gathered over 5,000 signatures.

However, Jason Schreier has confirmed that Hogwarts Legacy 2 will not include live-service features, even though WB has been promoting the games-as-a-service model.

Right now, Warner Bros. Games and developer Avalanche Software haven’t officially confirmed a sequel to Hogwarts Legacy. But considering how well the first game sold, it’s probable that the sequel is already in pre-production.