By Sagar V. Mankar The magical world of Hogwarts Legacy enchanted millions of players in 2023, becoming the year’s best-selling game dethroning Call of Duty.
With such runaway success, a sequel was all but guaranteed. But what is new coming up in this anticipated follow-up?
New Job Listing Hints at Unreal Engine 5
According to a recent job posting (first spotted by Tech4Gamers), Hogwarts Legacy developers at Warner Bros. are hiring for a “skilled Senior 3D character artist” to work on their “blockbuster open world, action RPG” – an obvious reference to the Harry Potter franchise.
Interestingly, the listing states the ideal candidate should have “experience with game engines such as Unreal Engine 4/5.“
Since the original Hogwarts Legacy utilized Unreal Engine 4, this phrasing suggests the next installment could migrate to the latest version of Epic’s powerful engine.
Why Unreal Engine 5 Could Be a Game-Changer?
Unreal Engine 5 is Epic Games’ latest and most advanced game engine, offering unprecedented graphics capabilities, enhanced performance, and a host of new features like:
- Lumen global illumination for vastly improved lighting
- Nanite virtualized micropolygon geometry for incredible detail
- Enhanced worldbuilding tools like World Partition and OpenWorldSource
- Support for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X advanced features
By leveraging this powerful engine, Hogwarts Legacy 2 could deliver a truly next-gen gaming experience, pushing the boundaries of immersion and visual fidelity.
But one major question remains, whether Hogwarts Legacy 2 will be a cross-generational release supporting PS4/Xbox One, or commit fully to cutting-edge platforms.
Building in UE5 could push the developers towards next-gen exclusivity.
Either way, moving to UE5 seems like a logical step to take full advantage of the latest technological leaps.
Will Hogwarts Legacy 2 Adopt a Live Service Model?
During the recent Morgan Stanley event, Jean-Briac Perrette, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO shared that the company embracing a live service model for their upcoming titles rather than a traditional single-player narrative game.
“Rather than just launching a one-and-done console game, how do we develop a game around, for example, a Hogwarts Legacy or Harry Potter, that is a live service where people can live and work and build and play in that world on an ongoing basis?” — Perrette stated.
However, maintaining a live service game requires constant effort from developers to keep content fresh and exciting.
While it offers a consistent revenue stream for publishers, some players argue that it could impact the quality of the gaming experience.
Additionally, live service games often require continuous investment from players for each new content drop, in contrast to the one-time cost of traditional single-player games.
So WB Games must tread cautiously, learning from the missteps of its recent release, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, which stumbled under the weight of technical issues and monotonous gameplay.
A live service Hogwarts Legacy 2 would demand a relentless commitment to delivering fresh, engaging content, lest it fall victim to the same pitfalls of repetitiveness that have plagued other live service titles.
This is news in transition and more features and rumors will be surfacing soon, so stay connected with gaming foodle for more updates.