This might shock you, so maybe you should sit back – Warner Bros. Discovery is planning a sequel to a video game that has sold more than 24 million copies. I know, I know, who could have seen it coming?
Well, this isn’t really surprising news. WBD Treasurer Gunnar Wiedenfels spoke at the Bank of America 2024 Media, Communications and Entertainment Conference and touched on the subject of Hogwarts Legacy follow-up.
The quote in question comes from Variety, which reports that Gunner said: “Obviously, the successor to Hogwarts Legacy is one of the most important priorities for the next few years. So it will definitely be a significant growth contribution. [games] Business in our strategic outlook.
Hogwarts Legacy launched in 2023 and became the best-selling game of the year, even beating out The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Well, a sequel to such a hugely successful game was a no-brainer.
But Warner Bros. Discovery does seem to need all the help it can get. According to Variety, Gunner described this year’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League as a “miss,” which is an impressive understatement. According to Warner Bros. Discovery itself, the company lost as much as $200 million.
Despite Suicide Squad’s financial failure, Warner Bros. Discovery Channel is actually planning to double down on live gaming, but the network hasn’t been too kind to that either. Beyond fan outrage, the market for live-streaming services is also extremely dangerous, as the newly released and just-shuttered shooter Concord discovered.
Suicide Squad developer Rocksteady is currently suffering the consequences of the game’s failure. New reports reveal they’ve been hit by layoffs, with half the Q&A team losing their jobs. Another report in June claimed that many Rocksteady employees are actually working on a new version of Hogwarts Legacy.
Speaking of Harry Potter, Warner Bros. Discovery just released Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions and is also releasing a remaster of another LEGO Harry Potter game.
