Warner Bros. teases even more Harry Potter universe games
Warner Bros. Interactive is ready to shout "Geminio" and cast a Duplication Charm because we're not done with the Wizarding World. Harry Potter games are nothing new, and from the glory days of pixelated 'Haggord' through to LEGO: Harry Potter, they've made enough money to fill Gringotts.
While the popularity of Harry Potter games dipped off after the movies ended, there's been a continued stream of titles. 2023 saw us jump on our brooms once again with Hogwarts Legacy, and while it's been caught in its own Wizarding War, it's far from the end of the story for WB.
Disclaimer: While the creator of the Harry Potter franchise was not directly involved in the creation of Hogwarts Legacy, their comments on social media around transgender people are hurtful and dangerous given the size of their platform.
We’d implore you to read our explainer of the controversy so far, and consider supporting trans rights charities where possible.
Warner Bros. promises more Wizarding World games
Click to enlargeAfter being leaked all the way back in 2018, the idea of an open-world Harry Potter game had plenty of time to build up hype. Instead of returning to the Boy Who Lived, Hogwarts Legacy tried to tell its own story 100 years before the events of The Philosopher's Stone. It was delayed numerous times over the years, but finally, topped the charts in 2023.
Despite the views of author J.K. Rowling and attempts to boycott Hogwarts Legacy, it has still sold 22 million copies and became the best-selling game of 2023 - breaking Call of Duty's 14-year winning streak. With this in mind, it makes sense that Warner Bros. has grand plans to milk the cash cow dry.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment president David Haddad has cryptically teased "a series of other things" that are currently unannounced in the HP universe. He told Variety that these "will let the fans be part of this world and stories and characters in deeper and deeper ways."
As for the success of Hogwarts Legacy, Haddad added, "It's not just the unit sold that I'm so proud of, it's just that it delighted the fans so much. It brought Harry Potter to life in a new way for gamers where they could be themselves in this world, in this story."
He concluded that the open-world Harry Potter spin-off achieved what the team at Avalanche Software always hoped. Haddad reminds us that sequel games typically sell better than the original, so we'd be surprised if things weren't already underway on a Hogwarts Legacy sequel or spin-off.
The Wizarding World is growing
Click to enlargeThe Potterverse is at a crossroads, with opinions being split on whether the IP should be banished to the Chamber of Secrets or allowed to continue. Being up there with the likes of the DC heroes and villains or The Lord of the Rings as Warner Bros.' big three, we know what the media giant is thinking.
The Wizarding World has shelved plans for a continuing Fantastic Beasts franchise, but meanwhile, there are more games than ever. Alongside Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, we've already heard about a Hogwarts Legacy sequel. With the sales to back an expanding universe, it sounds like we'll soon be waving our wands again.
