Hogwarts Legacy 2 World Change Mooted, AAA Title Be Gone

AAA or not to AAA? That is the question when it comes to the highly anticipated sequel of Hogwarts Legacy.

With 2026 fast approaching, many developers and publishers are pushing the boundaries of gaming, and especially technology by wanting to achieve bigger and better games wherever possibl.

Up until now, AAA games are titles we have given to releases which have a large budget, scale and a whole lot of ambition behind them, whereas AA is afforded to those that may have more moderate budgets and teams, but still offer a polished and unique spin on some of its bigger competitors.

Now with many teams wanting to push towards AAAA releases if such a thing is possible, it seems as though this is not what players want. Well, at least when it comes to Hogwarts Legacy 2.

As the highly anticipated sequel to 2023’s Hogwarts Legacy, Hogwarts Legacy 2 is reportedly in development with Avalanche Software back at the helm.

Warner Bros. Games

However, despite the RPG being set in the magical world of Harry Potter and becoming 2023’s best-selling game, players still had plenty to complain about when it came to the title’s sheer size and scope.

Taking place inside Hogwarts, the open-world title also expanded to areas such as the Forbidden Forest or Hogsmeade and even much of the ground surrounding the magical school.

As a result, much of its open-world felt empty which is the major concern in a game of this size.

So it is perhaps not surprising that fans are hoping that Avalanche Software will strip things back when it comes to the sequel. After all, it’s quality, not quantity.

Purpose Behind Hogwarts Legacy 2?

In a recent post shared to r/HarryPotterGame, one Reddit user shared their thoughts on AA vs AAA when it comes to Hogwarts Legacy 2, which will be created under the umbrella of Netflix if its takeover of Warner Bros and its gaming division is confirmed.

“One of the most common criticisms of Hogwarts Legacy (that I fully agree with) is that we don't spend nearly enough time at Hogwarts,” they wrote.

“A lion's share of the game is spent running around the surrounding hillside, doing repetitive side s*it out of any Ubisoft game, instead of doing classes, learning spells, interacting with the other students, and overall doing more in the Hogwarts castle.

“The thing is, the modern AAA games are all about having a very big world, just for the sake of it being very big, and giving you a lot of grinding to do in it.

The devs just followed what's expected from an AAA title these days. And we'd be happier with a lower budget, less massive, more focused AA game.”

It was not long before the comments came flooding in and it seems as though the majority of fans agree with this sentiment.

“I feel like they should have added more relevant villages on the map,” user spacyspice shared. “I personally love an open-world game with a beautiful map, but it feels empty when 85% of it is basically minions or beasts you have to kill.”

Another user agreed, adding, “Yeah, exactly.

I absolutely love the game for what it is, but I would like Bully in Hogwarts, not Skyrim (featuring Hogwarts).”

For now, development on Hogwarts Legacy 2 is being kept under wraps but let us hope that Avalanche Software can keep up with its own ambition when the highly anticipated sequel is released in the future.