Expansion to bestselling Harry Potter Hogwarts Legacy game axed

The expansion for Harry Potter Legacy was set to be released later this year.

An expansion which was planned for a hugely successful video game based in the Harry Potter universe has been axed after its content was deemed not "substantial" enough for the price.

Hogwarts Legacy, set before the events of JK Rowling's novels, has become one of the most best-selling games of all time since its release in February 2023. The expansion was set to come out later this year.

Although the plans to expand the game had not been officially announced by its publishers Warner Bros. Discovery Inc., its existence was reported in 2024.

It was originally set to feature brand-new storylines, with a Definitive Edition of the game, which would have included all content, was also reportedly due to be released alongside it, the Mirror reports.

Bloomberg has said that all plans have been cancelled. The business news website stated that the amount of content which was set to be included "was not substantial enough to justify the price being considered". However, it also reported that a sequel for the original game, which has reportedly sold over 34 million copies, is in development.

The video game division of Warner Bros. had a difficult year in 2024. A game based on Suicide Squad, featuring characters from DC Comics including Batman, Superman and Harley Quinn was a critical and financial failure, and the studio which created it was hit by several redundancies later in the year.

The corporation also announced a planned Wonder Woman game would not be going ahead, and closed three of its studios. It has now said it will focus its attention on its biggest franchises, including Harry Potter, DC, Game of Thrones, and the Mortal Kombat series, according to video games news website Eurogamer.

Hogwarts Legacy took place 100 years before the events of the bestselling Harry Potter novels and was played from the perspective of a student at the magic school. It received mostly positive reviews, with fans praising the authentic reproduction of the universe created by author J.K. Rowling.

However, it received criticism for its gameplay and some technical aspects. Some of Rowling's outspoken opinions also resulted in calls for a boycott.

The Edinburgh-based author, 59, said she has received thousands of death threats due to her views on gender identity, and claimed her family has also been targeted.

She appeared to challenge Police Scotland to arrest her if her social media posts break new laws following the introduction of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act last year. The force later confirmed it would take no action against the author.

In recent days, she has received a further jibe from former Harry Potter actor David Tennant, with the pair disagreeing in the past, after he was asked at a panel if he would be keen to play any characters in the forthcoming Harry Potter HBO TV series, which Rowling is producing, the Metro reports.

He quipped: "I mean, they're great stories. I feel like my contribution has probably been made. I'm told there's an executive producer who doesn't love me on that show."