CD Projekt Red says ‘The Witcher 4’ now in pre-production
CD Projekt Red has shared an update on its highly-awaited entry to The Witcher videogame series.
In a recent blog post, the studio revealed some of its accomplishments during the first quarter of 2022, which include the release of the next-gen version of Cyberpunk 2077 and some of the game’s major updates.
In addition to this, the studio also shared that it has concluded its "research phase" for the next entry in The Witcher franchise.
“We are very eager to revisit the universe which has shaped our history to such an extent. We have recently concluded the research phase for the first game in the new Witcher saga, which means that from now on further development expenditures will be capitalized on our balance sheet,” CD Projekt Group CEO Adam Kiciński said.
Meanwhile, CD Projekt Red executive Piotr Nielubowicz in a separate video added more details about the upcoming The Witcher game, saying that the next entry has entered “pre-production.”
“We have recently wrapped up research phase, which means the project has now progressed to pre-production,” he said.
Earlier this year, the studio announced that a new installment in the highly-acclaimed The Witcher franchise is now in development.
Up until now, the studio remains mum if the titular character, which is portrayed by Henry Cavill in the Netflix series adaptation, will return in the next installment.
Some fans, however, continue to believe that the upcoming game’s main character might be Geralt’s adopted daughter, Ciri, as they pointed out that the medallion in the teaser appears to belong to the School of the Cat, one of the three schools mentioned in the Witcher books.
In the story, Ciri claimed a Feline witcher’s medallion from the lifeless body of infamous bounty hunter Leo Bonhart, who is said to have bested three witchers in combat.
Other details about the upcoming game remain unknown but the studio previously confirmed that the next entry is bringing a new saga in the franchise.
Meanwhile, CD Projekt Red previously announced that instead of its proprietary REDengine technology, which the studio used to build games like The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings in 2011, the studio is moving the development of the new The Witcher game to Unreal Engine 5 as part of its multi-year strategic partnership with Epic Games.
“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,” the studio said.
