The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has just had its next-gen update delayed by an entire year, but what can we expect from the release? CDPR announced today that both The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077‘s updates would be delayed from a planned release this year to 2022. CDPR had restated the plan to release both updates in 2021 as recently as last month, so the delay comes as a little bit of a surprise. However, given the disastrous launch of Cyberpunk 2077, it’s understandable that CDPR would want to be cautious.
But what can we expect to see in the next-gen update for The Witcher 3? A delay of a whole year suggests that it may be more than a simple resolution bump. After all, the game already runs perfectly at much higher resolutions and frame rates on PC than it does on previous-gen consoles. Could we be in for more of a remaster/remake than a standard next-gen update?
Personally, I’d love to see another expansion with the next-gen update of The Witcher 3. CDPR has already confirmed that the update will be free for those who already own the game. What better way to get all those players back in than a full-blown expansion? Perhaps an expansion for the game on next-gen systems could help to bridge the gap between The Witcher 3 and the rumored next game, which is supposedly in development.
It’s already confirmed that the next-gen update for The Witcher 3 will include ray-tracing and other visual improvements. It would be great to see some improvements that we have unofficially received for the game on PC. Graphical mods for The Witcher 3 on PC have added HD monsters, improved environmental textures for things like grass, fire, and trees, and 4K armor textures make the game really pop on PC. With CDPR delaying the next-gen update by a whole year, let’s hope we are in for a really big overhaul of The Witcher 3.
