WB Games seems to have a new path for the coming year.
As reported by Insider Gaming, the company is preparing Hogwarts Legacy Definitive Edition. This version of the game will have 10 to 15 hours of new content, including a new storyline, side quests, outfits, and other activities.
While the specifics are still not set in stone, the plan is to make this WB Games’ big release for 2025. People who already own the game will be able to buy the additional content as DLC, to be priced somewhere between $ 20 to 30.
There doesn’t seem to be few options for WB’s gaming division, given the state of their business. Their highest of highs with the release of Hogwarts Legacy last year completely flipped on its head with the release of Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League.
But of course, WB Games is more than two games, so we do have to consider how their other games have turned out. And between Mortal Kombat One and Multiversus, their potential esports or live service players for those fighting games have dipped. For different reasons, player numbers have dipped for both titles, with their communities expressing their frustrations with gameplay and design choices.
The rest of the year still has the upcoming release of Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, and Meta Quest 3 exclusive Batman: Arkham Shadow. Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions and the recent rerelease of Lego Harry Potter Collection to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S will likely help push WB Games’ profit margins forward for the rest of this year.
And then there is Monolith Productions’ Wonder Woman game. While that project has fallen to some FUD, the fact is that Monolith announced the title in 2021. They are likely to still be deep in the middle of development, and they may not be releasing the game until 2026 at the earliest.
While WB Games and WB Discovery may continue to face criticism for using the Harry Potter IP, what consumers say and what they do can often send different messages. And the message that WB Games received is that making more Harry Potter games is a safer bet than making live service games.
This doesn’t mean that WB Games is definitely abandoning live service, and they may be regrouping their efforts to make a better conceived live service Harry Potter title in the future. But then, even WB Games’ own future seems to be in doubt, as WB has talked about licensing their IP to outside developers, and even selling off their division.
With all that said, we don’t think WB Games is in as dire a position as Ubisoft. So all these moves may be enough to get them by for at least their immediate future.
