CD Projekt Red's The WitcherRemake has been revealed to be an open-world role-playing game, a significant deviation from the original title. Speculation has been rife regarding the intricacies of the upcoming remake, but a recent earnings presentation offered some more detail about what players can expect in the modern reimagining of The Witcher.
In early October, the Polish publisher and developer announced several projects at various stages of development, one of which was codenamed Canis Majoris. This was later revealed to be a remake of The Witcher, the first entry into the now-renowned franchise that arrived in 2007. Unlike Assassins of Kings and Wild Hunt, the second and third from the trilogy respectively, the original Witcher game has aged quite poorly, and many consider a remake to be justified. However, whereas the most recent The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt took the game in an open-world direction, the first title was most certainly not. Albeit non-linear, both the first and second Witcher games only provided sandboxes significantly smaller than the vast plains offered by the third.
CD Projekt Red's Q3 earnings were recently published and The Witcher Remake was described as a "story-driven, single-player open-world RPG," as well as a "modern reimagining of 2007's The Witcher." The confirmation means that The Witcher Remake can expect drastic changes relative to the original, and not only because of an entirely new graphics engine. The Witcher was narratively married to distinct regions that progressed one after the other, so much of the progression present will likely require a substantial revamp.
Other details are light, but it has been stated the project is being outsourced to Polish studio Fool's Theory alongside veterans of the franchise, with complete oversight from CD Projekt Red. Although Unreal Engine 5 is due to be utilized, the project is still very early in development, and gamers should not expect significant updates, never mind a release date, for a while.
But fans should not be too disappointed, as a team from CD Projekt Red has been dedicated to polishing the next-gen update for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, due to arrive on December 14. Ray tracing, 4K textures, and native 60fps will bless the Continent in just over two weeks, which players can enjoy with the newly implemented photo mode, alternative camera angles, and a new quest inspired by The Witcher Netflix series. The popularity of the show dramatically increased the concurrent player count of The Witcher 3, no doubt inspiring CD Projekt Red to include armor sets and weapons that were present in it.
The Witcher Remake is in development.
Source: CD Projekt Red
