A new saga is set to begin for The Witcher video game franchise, with CD Projekt Red today confirming that the next instalment in their popular The Witcher franchise is currently in development. The new generation release will be powered by Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 5, which means if done right, could be a very pretty and technologically advanced release knowing what the studio has offered in past instalments. Having recently come out of the successful sales-wise but controversy-laden development of Cyberpunk 2077, time will tell if CD Projekt Red still retains their crown as one of the most imaginative open-world developers in the market today.
The switch to Unreal Engine 5 is a big deal for the company, who since The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (2011) have used their proprietary REDengine technology. This new relationship with Epic covers not only licensing, but technical development of Unreal Engine 5, as well as potential future versions of Unreal Engine, where relevant. Developers from CD PROJEKT RED will collaborate with those from Epic with the primary goal being to help tailor the engine for open-world experiences, beginning with the development of the next game in The Witcher franchise. With the exception of the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 expansion, further games developed by CD Projekt Red in the foreseeable future will make use of Unreal Engine.
One of the core aspects of our internal RED 2.0 Transformation is a much stronger focus on technology, and our cooperation with Epic Games is based on this principle. From the outset, we did not consider a typical licensing arrangement; both we and Epic see this as a long-term, fulfilling tech partnership. It is vital for CD PROJEKT RED to have the technical direction of our next game decided from the earliest possible phase as; in the past, we spent a lot of resources and energy to evolve and adapt REDengine with every subsequent game release. This cooperation is so exciting, because it will elevate development predictability and efficiency, while simultaneously granting us access to cutting-edge game development tools. I can’t wait for the great games we’re going to create using Unreal Engine 5!
Pawel Zawodny – CTO of CD Projekt Red
Epic has been building Unreal Engine 5 to enable teams to create dynamic open worlds at an unprecedented scale and level of fidelity. We are deeply honored by the opportunity to partner with CD PROJEKT RED to push the limits of interactive storytelling and gameplay together, and this effort will benefit the developer community for years to come.
Tim Sweeney – Founder and CEO of Epic Games
As for further information on the new game in The Witcher franchise? Beyond this initial confirmation of a new saga in The Witcher franchise, no further details — such as a development time frame or release date — were provided.
