Warner Bros. Bets Big as Hogwarts Legacy 2 Goes Live Service

They're back, and this time it's not a good thing. The company is stepping up after Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League went so badly that it could be used as an example of "what not to do" in business schools. It has now been confirmed that WB Montreal, the company that made Gotham Knights, is working on a brand-new live service game.

This new title is being worked on "from concept to launch and beyond", with full post-launch live ops built right in. This is made clear in a recent job posting for an Executive Producer. The best part? It's based on one of Warner Bros.' "iconic IPs", which means it could be anything from a live-action Justice League game to a Harry Potter game.

Let's just say that you can almost hear the pot boiling. There have been reports that Rocksteady is working on a Batman single-player game, but this is not that game at all. Forever Games is a new way to try to get into the market. The idea is to make a game that never stops and keeps you (and your wallet) locked in.

We've seen this move before, which is why we feel like we know it so well. It also went off. Not easy. Not only did Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League fail, but it really sank. Not in a cute "oops" way. It was as bad as Anthem. People didn't like that game at all, and it almost brought down Wonder Woman and Monolith Studios with it. And now we're seeing Warner Bros. grab the same hot stove with both hands again.

You must be new to this site if you think, "But surely they've learned their lesson". Let's take apart the Mount Rushmore of failed live shows, where Suicide Squad now happily stands next to some real disasters: Anthem was meant to be BioWare's big comeback.

It had Iron Man suits, co-op flying, and a big budget from EA. We got a game that was a mess and didn't live up to its claims. After the launch, CPR didn't help, and now PowerPoint decks with the title "How to Waste Hundreds of Millions" use Anthem as an example of how not to waste money.

The power of a superhero? Check. Square Enix cash? Check. Momentum? Not present. Key content was locked behind boring grinds and changes that were so slow you'd think the developers couldn't stand excitement. Hulk could smash, but those dying player numbers were too big for him to hit.

Babylon's Fall is one of a kind. Platinum Games put out a product that was so dull that it almost seemed like a joke. There was no buzz, bad graphics, and so few players that you could hear your thoughts on the computer. Not even a year after it came out, the game was taken down. Not a fail, but a fast run to end. What's the point of this? What makes Warner Bros. want to go back into the lion's den so soon after its last warrior was killed?

More and more people think that this new game might have something to do with the Harry Potter world, especially since Hogwarts Legacy was such a huge hit. It's not impossible that the live service could change to a Hogwarts-themed experience, with MMO, Battle Royale, and "WandPass" yearly content.

And to be honest? That would be terrible. Hogwarts Legacy worked because each part of the game stood on its own. There won't be any always-online nonsense, never-ending daily tasks, or vending machines that look like magical chests that sell loot boxes. A good old-fashioned RPG with a lot of world to explore. It lets people play as the wizard instead of the whale.

Think about that same world as Hogwarts Online Casino Edition, where Hagrid gives you weekly login prizes, and broomsticks are ranked from least common to most common. If that's the direction, get ready to make money, demons to lock the franchise's soul away in a loot prison.

Warner Bros. isn't coming up with new ideas right now; they're just following. After trying ways to make money that haven't worked for bigger companies. Trying to save trends that are already dying. After the idea of a "forever game" in a world that is sick of them.

The fact that Suicide Squad didn't do well wasn't just a coincidence; it was a clear sign that people have moved on. People don't want slow-drip material that is given out like food stamps in a post-apocalyptic wasteland; they want full experiences. Still, here we are.

It's not just Warner Bros. It was tried by Ubisoft with The Division: Heartland. EA tried it with Anthem. Square Enix tried it with Avengers. As a result? Keep quiet. Closed up. Give back. Now it's WB Montreal's turn to walk that same fine line, while Gotham Knights is still on fire.

To sum up, Warner Bros. is trying to change something that has already failed several times while still expecting the same outcome. Once more. It would be terrible for both the IP and the company if this new live service game turned out to be a Harry Potter spin-off.

We're seeing what business insanity really means happen right now. The only question now is how many more franchises will WB give up for engagement measures before they understand that people just want good games?

If things keep going this way, Warner Bros.' next game might just be Looney Tunes: MultiVersus Royale. What do you know? That idea might not even be the worst one they have right now.