Update: CDPR Global PR Director Radek Grabowski has provided a little extra context to this, advising that the game hasn't been announced as 'The Witcher 4', so we've removed that name from the headline for the time being.
Original story: In a new blog post from The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red, the Polish studio confirms that a brand new Witcher game is in development. The next instalment of The Witcher series will switch over to Unreal Engine 5, and the studio will be working with Epic Games on the title.
The developer says that this will be the start of a "new saga" for the franchise, following the hugely popular The Witcher 3 and its two expansions; Hearts of Stone and Blood & Wine.
As this new saga appears to stretch across multiple games, it's looking like CD Projekt will use Unreal Engine for future The Witcher development. The announcement says that working with Epic Games is a "multi-year strategic partnership", as the developer ditches its proprietary REDengine; technology it's used since The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.
Both CD Projekt and Epic Games have commented on the partnership. Here's what CTO of CD Projekt Red, Paweł Zawodny, had to say:
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!
Tim Sweeney, Founder and CEO of Epic Games, added this:
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.
So, there you have it. In all but name, The Witcher 4 has been announced and is in active development. CD Projekt may well opt for a different title closer to launch, but development on a sequel to The Witcher 3 is officially in the works!
How excited are you for the next Witcher game? Let us know your thoughts down below.
[source cdprojekt.com]
Comments 22
Epic games hmm
Well maybe there won’t be a lot of preorders on this one. I sure will wait for the game to come out hoping cdpr has got it toghether. Won’t get too excited before that !
Good. Don't screw it this time.
After the cyberpunk 2077 debacle, they should give this away for free!*
*just joking
Might be the first CDPR game I don't pre-order. Fool me once etc etc
Here they go, announcing games that are at least 5 years away, and will fail to live up to any expectations.
Don’t they learn?
@Casco i'm so sick of it. a lot of companies are announcu=ing games that are years and years away. don't say anything until you have gameplay to show and the games will be out within a year! what do they gain by showing us a game that won't be ready for 4-5 years?
@Casco Exactly my thoughts. Shareholders will grow impatient after waiting 5+ years for this new game, more pressure will be put on the management and once again we'll get a rushed and broken game.
Neat. Just make sure the game is actually done before it releases. CyberPunk is great but it took over a year after release for it to get to that state lol.
@armondo36 I understand your sentiment, and in a perfect world I wish games weren't announced years before release.
But what you have to understand is that these super early announcements are less for the fans and more as an advertisement for talent to come and work on the game.
It's why we see things like the Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Wolverine and other big IP being announced so early. If you want to attract the best talent it helps to say come and work on this beloved IP.
I understand that they want to announce what's their current project in order to make a great team etc. but players shouldn't expect this game until 2028 LOL.
Gonna be optimistic, they're gonna team up with epic to bring redengine to ue5, maybe this will speed up development time and release in 4 years.... relatively bug free, Witcher 3 was also buggy as hell at launch but they fixed it in a reasonable time not 1,5 year like 77 thing
Releases in 2028 on PS5 and PS6 but PS5 runs it piss poor and an optimised PS6 only version releases in 2030.
(Used the PS cause of predictability)
Awesome news, I finished The Witcher 3 and thought it was amazing... I still need to get around to playing the DLC..
@Casco
You are so right. Games should not be announced until they are guaranteed to have a release window within a year. Announcing any game earlier, is pure hype marketing.
I ask myself when I see games announced more then a year out, "So, why aren't they focusing on the games they are releasing now?".
@Casco No, they don't. And the same goes for people who STILL pre-order games, especially digital copies, considering that scarcity isn't even a thing anymore, and actually the "complete package" will be released 12 months or so later.
@Bmartin001
Witcher 3 DLC is some of the best I've ever played. Highly recommended.
Is it the witcher 4 or it seems more as a reboot with new protagonism, i bet a women character.
No hype at all after the cyberpunk lies
Yeah this is great news but it will most likely be at least 3 years away so maybe announced too soon. I’m patiently waiting for the next-gen Witcher 3 update.
Doubt I’ll be playing it kinda over cd projekt games now! I have rhronebreaker still to place but u less that wins me over I don’t really rate CDs games
With Epic involved expect a year of exclusiveness.
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