Summary
It seems fair to say thatHogwarts Legacyhas performed much better than anyone could have ever anticipated. WhileHarry Potteris obviously still an incredibly popular franchise, despite its creator’s hateful rhetoric, the levels of success thatHogwarts Legacyis still continuing to see are genuinely astounding, with it managing to maintain itsbest-selling game of 2023title since release despite huge games likeStar Wars Jedi: SurvivorandZelda: Tears of the Kingdomreleasing.
While it’s seen extreme success,Hogwarts Legacywasn’t a perfect game, even if it was admittedly a great starting point. Though it still has a lot of work to do, Avalanche has laid some great groundwork forthe nextHogwarts Legacygame, with its world, combat, and exploration all feeling suitably satisfying. It’s only a matter of time beforeHogwarts Legacygets some kind of sequel, and while many fans are desperate for a big multiplayer spin-off, Avalanche should hold off on that for a little while, with the multiplayer spin-off landscape not looking so hot right now.
RELATED:A Hogwarts Legacy Sequel Should Give a More Prominent Role to One Species
Why A Hogwarts Legacy Multiplayer Spin-off May Want to Wait
Big Multiplayer Spin-offs Aren’t Doing Too Well Right Now
Thanks to gigantic successes likeFortniteandApex Legends, live-service has been the latest major trend in the video game ecosphere, and it’s one that every big publisher and developer is trying to jump on right now. Though the vast majority of gamers aren’t too happy about the sudden focus-shift to live-service in many of their favorite franchises, it does unfortunately make a lot of sense when it comes to games likeCall of Duty. If more money can be made by going live-service, then it’s almost a guarantee that the franchise is going to at least dabble in some kind of live-service monetization. But just adding live-service to a game doesn’t mean it’ll be an immediate success.
Over the last year, the live-service bubble seems to have shown its first signs of popping, with smaller-scale games likeKnockout CityandRumbleverseboth being delistedand shutdown. But that hasn’t stopped PlayStation from continuing to move forward with its plan to break into the live-service market, even though it’s already showing warning signs.
Last year, it was announced thatThe Last of Uswould be receiving a multiplayer spin-off, likely with live-service elements.The Last of Usmultiplayer was presumably set to lead the charge forPlayStation’s new live-service phase, but things haven’t quite gone to plan. According to a number of leaks,The Last of Usmultiplayer is in troubled waters. Bungie apparently was asked to step in and evaluate the game’s potential, and it allegedly did not go well, leading to a major delay.
WhileHogwarts Legacyhas been an incredibly popular game, and it’s about to get another big sales boost with its imminent launch on Nintendo Switch, it still might not be enough to be a live-service success. IfHogwarts Legacywas going to have a multiplayer spin-off, then it would be a much safer choice to keep live-service elements out of the game and instead make it a smaller-scale, low player-count multiplayer title, giving just a few friends the ability to play with one another in the Wizarding World. Regardless, the world of big franchise multiplayer spin-offs isn’t looking so hot right now, and Avalanche Software and Warner Bros. should just hold off and see how the market settles over the course of the next few years, maybe focusing on a directsingle-playerHogwarts Legacysequelinstead.
Hogwarts Legacy
WHERE TO PLAY
Hogwarts Legacy is an immersive, open-world action RPG set in the world first introduced in the Harry Potter books. For the first time, experience Hogwarts in the 1800s. Your character is a student who holds the key to an ancient secret that threatens to tear the wizarding world apart. Now you can take control of the action and be at the center of your own adventure in the wizarding world. Your legacy is what you make of it.Explore an Open WorldThe wizarding world awaits you. Freely roam Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, the Forbidden Forest, and the surrounding Overland area.Be the Witch or Wizard You Want to beLearn spells, brew potions, grow plants, and tend to magical beasts along your journey. Get sorted into your house, forge relationships, and master skills to become the witch or wizard you want to be Experience a New Wizarding World AdventureExperience the wizarding world in an unexplored era to uncover a hidden truth from its past. Battle against trolls, Dark Wizards, goblins, and more as you face a dangerous villain threatening the fate of the wizarding world.
