Hogwarts Legacy Devs Ride Sales Records into New Unreal Engine 5 Project

The runaway success of 2023’s wizarding RPG Hogwarts Legacy has elevated developer Avalanche Software to new heights. On the heels of record sales, the studio’s partners at Studio Gobo have hinted at an all-new Unreal Engine 5 adventure game in the works.

Key Highlights:

• Hogwarts Legacy immerses players at Hogwarts before Harry Potter’s time.
• The open-world RPG sold over 12 million copies just in the UK.
• It became the best-selling single-player game in a decade.
• The game’s co-developer Studio Gobo is now hiring for a new UE5 title.
• This mystery adventure game is touted as a multi-platform AAA release.
• Hogwarts Legacy’s big sales likely enabled the new project’s creation.

A Spellbinding Open-World Adventure

After years of anticipation, Hogwarts Legacy finally arrived in February 2023, transporting fans into the Wizarding World’s hallowed magical academy and its surroundings. Set in the late 1800s, players create their own customised student attending Hogwarts in its heyday.

RPG mechanics, deep customisation, secret areas, magical beasts, and famous professors brought the fantasy school to life in intricate detail. Spread across a vast open world, Hogwarts Castle became a fan-favourite location with its secret passages and faithful recreation.

Developed principally by Avalanche Software, with assistance from supporting studios like Studio Gobo, Hogwarts Legacy enchanted critics and fans. But its real magic manifested through staggering commercial success.

Record-Breaking Sales Surpass the Competition

Hogwarts Legacy has now eclipsed 12.76 million physical sales just in the UK, according to sales trackers. This makes it the single best-selling solo-experience game of the past decade, topping even Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V.

Worldwide, it trails only behemoths like Call of Duty when accounting for all game genres. But for a single-player adventure, its popularity is unmatched in recent memory.

The game’s success defied some early controversy and calls for boycott over Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling’s transphobic comments. Ultimately, the draw of returning to the magical world overpowered politics for most gamers.

Harry Potter of course is one of the biggest franchises of all-time, up there with the likes of Star Wars and Star Trek in numbers of supporters worldwide. The game recently launched on the Nintendo Switch and the majority of the gaming community has praised it on that platform too.

These phenomenal sales have firmly established Avalanche as a premier AAA studio and likely enabled their next ambitious new IP.

Full Steam Ahead on a New Unreal Engine 5 Game

On the heels of Hogwarts Legacy’s triumph, Avalanche’s frequent collaborator Studio Gobo has hinted at an exciting new project as reported by Gamesual. The UK-based studio is currently hiring developers to work on a multiplatform AAA action-adventure game powered by Unreal Engine 5.

UE5’s cutting-edge graphics and performance open the doors to incredible virtual worlds. Studio Gobo is expanding to craft another immersive, cinematic experience on this technology. Their success supporting Avalanche likely convinced them to take the lead on their own narrative-driven game. The job posting reveals that the studio is looking for a lead designer.

While details remain mostly under wraps, the studio promises a game equal in quality and scope to Hogwarts Legacy. The record sales and reputation gained from that blockbuster enables them to pitch this mysterious new title.

More Magic on the Horizon

For fans, Hogwarts Legacy proved the massive appetite for deep story-driven games set in mystical worlds brimming with secrets. The stars have aligned for its co-developers to strike while the iron is hot and deliver another AAA journey.

With the Harry Potter franchise on indefinite pause in games, Avalanche can focus energy on new ideas. Their next fantasy could build on Legacy’s strengths while innovating further.

Meanwhile, Studio Gobo can leverage its world-building talents honed on the fantasy series into an original universe. The UK studio likely attracted top talent eager to help craft epic adventures.

Wherever this new collaboration leads, it promises to conjure up more of the wonder and discovery that made exploring the Wizarding World so special. Lightning can strike twice when developers commit to ambitious scope, strong writing, and gameplay variety. Here’s hoping they manifest more magic.