Hogwarts Legacy 2 petition started in wake of controversial announcement

A sequel to Hogwarts Legacy is in development, albeit in the very early stages.

It’s far too soon for anything in the way of a reveal trailer but it did recently surface that the project is a “very big priority” for Warner Bros. alongside the upcoming television adaptation of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter novels.

That’s not the only tidbit to surface about the sequel though.

Earlier this year, Warner Bros. Discovery’s CEO and president JB Perrette was recorded saying the following: “Rather than just launching a one-and-done console game, how do develop a game around, for example, Hogwarts Legacy that is a live service where people can live and build and play in that world on an ongoing basis?”

Certainly, that’s not definitive proof that the so-called Hogwarts Legacy 2 will be a live-service game.

It could merely mean that a live-service component is planned to run alongside the base game, just as there was GTA V and GTA Online, for example.

Even still, even just the mere utterance of the phrase ‘live service’ has left fans feeling worried, especially after major industry flops like Concord and Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, the latter being a Warner Bros. title.

Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions is the franchise’s most recent game outing.

Amidst all of this uncertainty, fans are letting their opinion be known, launching a Change.org petition titled “Stop Hogwarts Legacy 2 from being a live-service”.

The petition, which was set up by Kevin Malcom, has amassed just over 8,500 signatures at the time of writing, with the next goal being 10,000.

“I don't want this great game to be wasted by transforming into a live-action garbage game,” wrote one signer.

“I refuse to buy live service games or pay for microtransactions. Single-player games and traditional normal multiplayer games are the GOAT of gaming,” added another.

Will 8,500 signatures be enough to sway Warner Bros. and Avalanche Software? Probably not, but it’s still important that fans vocalise the sentiment of the fanbase.

As I said though, I’m dubious about the notion that the sequel will be totally live-service instead of perhaps just having an adjacent experience in that realm.

Until something is ready to come to light though, we’ll have to keep our fingers crossed that the rumoured Director’s Cut manifests.