Summary
Despite the downfall of its most recently published IP,Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Warner Bros. Games has decided to double down on live-service releases. According to Warner Bros Discovery executive JB Perrette, this decision was primarily inspired by the fact that big-budget AAA games are “volatile” because their financial success is unpredictable, whereaslive-service gamesrequire less to make and can potentially make more in the long run if they succeed. While this might make sense from a business standpoint, it all but sealsHogwarts Legacy 2’s fate as a live-service game.
The live-service model has received its fair share of complaints over the last decade, frequently labeled as nothing more than a greedy money-making scheme. Indeed, live-service games are generally developed with money in mind, but they aren’t inherently bad. Games likeDestiny 2,No Man’s Sky, andPath of Exileutilize a live-service model and have been very successful regardless. As such, althoughHogwarts Legacy 2as a live-service game would come with cons, it would also come with pros.
Pros of Hogwarts Legacy 2 Being a Live-Service Game
Hogwarts Legacy 2 Can Have an Extended Lifespan
One of the benefits ofHogwarts Legacy 2being a live-service game would be an extended lifespan.Hogwarts Legacy’s main story is only around 26.5 hours long, according to HowLongToBeat, and takes an additional 40 hours or so to complete everything the game has to offer. At that point, players can start a new game with a character that belongs to a different Hogwarts house, but it only changes a few hours of the story. This ultimately results in poor replay value and causes players to put the game down shortly after their initial completion of it. IfHogwarts Legacy 2were a live-service game, its lifespan would potentially be much longer than the first game’s, as new content would be added over time.
Hogwarts Legacy 2 Can Adapt and Evolve Over Time
Live-service’s biggest advantage over “one and done” gamesis that it acts as the catalyst for a game’s evolution. Essentially, the live-service model places a game in an eternal beta stage, where players can provide feedback and potentially see the game adapt and change as a result. Big-budget games can certainly receive periodic updates, but the live-service model allows these updates to be more regular and more significant than they could otherwise. Therefore,Hogwarts Legacy 2would presumably receive the same treatment as a live-service game.
Cons of Hogwarts Legacy 2 Being a Live-Service Game
Hogwarts Legacy 2 Would Always Be Online
Almost anytime the gaming community learns that a game will always be online, a large portion of it lets out a unified sigh. The reasoning behind this is thatalways-online gamesrely on servers, which are notorious for failing, especially at a game’s launch. Unfortunately, live-service games require players to be connected to the internet at all times, which meansHogwarts Legacy 2would be subject to the same.
Hogwarts Legacy 2’s Cosmetics Would Likely Be Monetized
Apart fromHogwarts Legacy’s beautifully crafted Hogwarts castleand the spell-binding magic of exploring the world ofHarry Potter, one of the game’s best features is its cosmetics system. As players collect unique gear such as robes, wand handles, and scarves, they can customize their look with the appearance of those items they’ve already collected, free of charge. IfHogwarts Legacy 2does turn out to be a live-service game, however, it would likely monetize some or all of its cosmetics, as live-service games often thrive on what players are willing to spend to purchase new outfits for their characters.
WhetherHogwarts Legacy 2is in developmentand whether it will adopt the infamous live-service model remains to be seen. However, if it does, it isn’t necessarily doomed, as there are some benefits to it being a live-service game, should Avalanche and Warner Bros. handle it with care.
