Warner Bros. Discovery Inc
With over 24 million copies sold since its release in February 2023, Hogwarts Legacy has generated over $1 billion in revenue, making a follow-up nearly inevitable. Warner Bros.
Discovery's Chief Financial Officer, Gunnar Wiedenfels, recently spoke to Variety, affirming that Hogwarts Legacy 2 is a top priority for the company moving forward.
"Obviously, a successor to Hogwarts Legacy is one of the biggest priorities in a couple of years down the road," Discovery's Chief Financial Officer, Gunnar Wiedenfels told Variety. "So there is certainly a significant growth contribution from that [games] business in our strategic outlook here."
Warner Bros. Games: A Year Of Highs And Lows
2024 has proven to be a challenging year for Warner Bros.' gaming division. Most notably, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, developed by Rocksteady Studios, received widespread criticism following its February 2024 launch. The game's poor reception led to financial setbacks for Warner Bros., with the company acknowledging that the title contributed to a $200 million revenue hit.
The game's failure has had lasting consequences, including layoffs at Rocksteady. According to a Bloomberg report, the studio is currently focused on a director's cut of Hogwarts Legacy. There are also rumors circulating that Rocksteady may pivot back to single-player games, moving away from live-service models following the struggles with Suicide Squad.
Warner Bros. Games: Strategic Asset Despite Setbacks
Despite the ups and downs, Wiedenfels stressed the continued importance of the games division to Warner Bros.' overall strategy. "The games business continues to be a strategic asset for the company," he said. Titles like Mortal Kombat and MultiVersus have remained strong contributors.
In addition to the upcoming Hogwarts Legacy sequel, Warner Bros. recently released Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, a standalone multiplayer title that operates separately from the core Hogwarts Legacy universe. Other notable projects include Batman: Arkham Shadow, a virtual reality game set in the Arkham universe, and a Wonder Woman game under development by Monolith Productions, best known for Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor.
