Warner Bros. just said the words “the second installment of Hogwarts Legacy” out loud, in writing, to shareholders. It took until now. The publisher of the best-selling game of 2023 had never once acknowledged the sequel it green-lit shortly after that game launched.
The confirmation is buried in a quarterly letter, which is a funny place for one of the most-anticipated RPG follow-ups of the decade to finally get its paperwork stamped.
What the letter actually says
“Games remains an important growth lever as we work toward our long-term Studios segment goals,” the letter reads. “During the second quarter, we released LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight – the highest rated LEGO game ever – and Game of Thrones: Dragonfire, our second mobile game from the Game of Thrones universe. These releases marked the first launches under our refocused strategy centered around four key $1 billion+ franchises with disciplined investment behind fewer, higher conviction titles.”
Then the part everyone screenshotted: “We expect Games to more meaningfully contribute to segment profitability going forward as our pipeline expands, including the second installment of Hogwarts Legacy.”
That’s it. That’s the reveal. No release window, no platforms restated, no footage. Avalanche Studio is back at the helm, and the developer has suggested the game will land on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch.
Why people were bracing for a cancellation
The recent drama around Netflix’s acquisition of Warner Bros. had fans convinced the sequel was a candidate for the chopping block. A shuffle that size tends to eat projects that haven’t been publicly committed to, and Hogwarts Legacy 2 had never been publicly committed to.
So the shareholder letter functions as a survival notice. It’s still in development. Those worries were unwarranted.
It’s hard to believe this is the first time the publisher has mentioned its own sequel, but hey, better than nothing.
The date nobody will commit to
The letter doesn’t shine any light on a release date. Some believe it’ll arrive as early as 2027 to line up with the new Harry Potter television show. More likely it’s sometime in 2028.
Either way, the fanbase will wait. The first game sold like nothing else that year and is remembered fondly, even despite the controversy surrounding its connection to Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. What it didn’t have was staying power, because there was almost no post-game content, and modders couldn’t paper over that on their own.
Over on r/HarryPotterGame, the mood is complicated
The top comment lays out a wish list that reads like a postmortem of the original. “If it is just a new storyline, missions and mechanics to make the world feel alive (real choices, reputation mechanics, maybe a shadow-of-war Nemesis style) it will already be fantastic,” it read. “If any dev is listening, the map is already huge, and the engine and graphics are already great. Just fill in the void that was the original game and we are good. At least that’s my view as a passionate HL player.”
Others are less generous. “Hopefully it is a new game and not just recycling the s*it ton of cut content or expansion and calling it a day,” one said.
Fill the void, or don’t bother. That’s the bar Avalanche is being handed, set by the people who already bought the first one.
