CD Project Red has revealed that it is working on a new Witcher game that would “kick off a new tale for the franchise,” and will be the first new mainstream entry in the series since The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in 2015.
The major announcement is that CD Projekt Red will convert from its existing in-house REDengine engine — which it has used for almost a decade — to Unreal Technology 5, as part of a “multi-year strategic relationship” between CDPR and Epic Games, for the future Witcher game.
Despite this collaboration, the next Witcher game will not be unique to Epic Games Stores, and CDPR will continue to use REDengine for some current projects, such as the planned Cyberpunk 2077 expansion.
Beyond that, CDPR is emphasizing that “no other specifics — such as a development period or release date” about the upcoming title are being shared at this time. Given the duration of CD Projekt Red’s production cycles, we may have to wait a while for additional information.
Take, for example, Cyberpunk 2077, which was first announced in 2012, received a teaser video in 2013 and was repeatedly delayed until it ultimately launched in December 2020. Even then, the game was riddled with flaws and glitches, which CD Projekt Red is still working to resolve over a year later.
However, later on, Monday, we learned that the new game will not be called “The Witcher 4,” as Radek Grabowski, CDPR’s global PR director, said on Twitter.
Even though the information is sparse, the news of a new Witcher game is thrilling. The Witcher 3 is still considered one of the best open-world RPGs ever developed, and with the Witcher franchise reaching new heights of popularity thanks to the ongoing Netflix series (and its spinoffs), it’s easy to see why CDPR would want to start “a new narrative” of Witcher adventures.
