It was some big news when CD Projekt Red revealed that they were moving away from their proprietary engine. Instead of using that same engine to keep things going, we know the next few games from them will be using Epic’s Unreal Engine. A recent statement suggests that this move should not only benefit the games currently in development but also future projects, such as The Witcher 5 and The Witcher 6.
We’re all waiting on that next fabled installment of The Witcher franchise. We know that The Witcher 4 is set to feature Ciri as our main protagonist. However, another significant change is the engine running this game. Recently, GamesRadar had the chance to speak with Jan Hermanowicz, who is the engineering production manager on The Witcher 4.
During their conversation, the tech demo that recently showcased the power of Unreal Engine with The Witcher 4 was discussed, as well as what the new technology might mean for The Witcher 5 and The Witcher 6. Of course, don’t expect a treasure trove of new information here.
According to Jan Hermanowicz, it is too early to talk about the contents of The Witcher 4, which means it’s definitely too early to talk about the rest of the new saga. However, while it’s too early to discuss specifics, it was noted that the new tools will offer numerous benefits, allowing for fast integration and moving forward.
A lot of cool things that allow for fast iteration and moving forward.
The development of those things and those improvements for open-world technology go across all those projects and benefit all of those projects. So in a sense, we are now using The Witcher 4, and all the assets which are for this technical demo, which is a vehicle to push the tech forward, in return benefits all of the industry.
It’s noted that the development and improvements for open-world technology will be applied across all projects rather than the tools being used solely to benefit their current full-production game, The Witcher 4. Instead, it seems that the new tools are being shared across teams within CD Projekt Red. So, in a way, the recent tech demo is the vehicle to push forward the new technology, as Jan put it in his conversation with GamesRadar.
The idea of having the ability for faster interaction, in particular, is interesting. That could mean future projects might not take anywhere near as long to complete. Right now, we’re still waiting on The Witcher 4, but beyond that, we do know that Cyberpunk 2077 has a sequel in the works. Fortunately, for those of you who are still enjoying Night City, it seems that another surprise update is coming our way. That update was planned for the end of this month. However, it has since been pushed back as developers continue to work through the planned content.
