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Tomas Franzese is the Weekend News Editor at Polygon, following and reporting on the latest goings-on in the gaming and entertainment spaces. During the week, you can find him working on Remastered, his newsletter about video game history and retro gaming, or contributing to GameSpot and other publications. Previously, Tomas was the Gaming Segment Lead at XDA and a Staff Writer at Digital Trends.
Move over Shrek 5, I can't wait to replay the Shrek 2 game when its leaked remaster launches
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With Shrek 5 less than a year away, DreamWorks' flagship ogre is making his way back into gaming. Shrek and friends made their way into Brawlhalla earlier this year, and now a remaster of the great Shrek 2 tie-in game has leaked, courtesy of an early Xbox Store page listing.
How did Shrek 2 Remastered leak?
We first got a hint that a Shrek 2 Remastered could be in the works when Steam Achievements for it leaked in September, around the same time Kingdom Hearts 4's achievements were also exposed. Then, on October 16, an Xbox.com store page listing for Shrek 2 Remastered was spotted by GameSpot, revealing details about the game and even leaking its announcement trailer.
Leaking via the Xbox store is a more common occurrence than you think. Just this year, the console port of Mewgenics and Rayman Origins Enhanced Edition were also revealed early that way. As someone who grew up playing Shrek 2: The Game quite a bit, this may be the year's most exciting Xbox Store leak yet.
Shrek 2 was developed by Luxoflux and published by Activision back in 2004. It loosely adapts the events of the film into an isometric action-adventure game. It's not the most revolutionary licensed game ever made, but it was much more polished and fun than many of its licensed game peers of that era, including other Shrek games. I remember this tie-in title fondly to this day, and I'm glad a new generation of kids.
According to the now-deleted store page, this remaster is developed by Apsyr. That studio has a mixed track record, as it has released many flawed retro Star Wars game remasters but has had a better track record with more recent The Lord of the Rings game re-releases. Shrek 2 Remastered will give the original Xbox, PS2, and GameCube game the expected visual overhaul while also adding a photo mode and cheat mode.
Unfortunately, the leak didn't confirm a release window for Shrek 2 Remastered, and we still have no idea when it will be officially announced. Still, it's quite likely that the remaster will come out before Shrek 5 hits theaters on June 30, 2027.