CD Projekt Red, the developer behind the critically acclaimed Witcher series, has reaffirmed its ambitious plan to release three complete Witcher games within a six-year period. The Polish gaming giant announced this goal nearly four years ago, with the first installment of the new trilogy set to launch sometime after The Witcher 4.
The shift from their proprietary REDEngine to Unreal Engine has given CDPR a significant boost in terms of development predictability and efficiency, according to VP of Business Development Michaล Nowakowski. This change has allowed the studio to harness the cutting-edge game development tools offered by Epic's popular engine.
To be clear, the six-year period starts with the release of The Witcher 4. If all three games are delivered as planned, this means that CDPR will have two additional sequels within a span of five years. Although it seems ambitious, given the roughly eight-year gap between the 2007 release of The Witcher and the 2015 release of The Witcher 3.
A new demo showcasing The Witcher 4's impressive graphics technology surfaced at Epic's State of Unreal presentation this summer. However, this was labeled as "not actual gameplay," even during sections being controlled live by a CDPR developer.
The ambitious development schedule has sparked concerns regarding the potential for technological updates and future-proofing. With Epic announcing a preview of Unreal Engine 6 possibly just two to three years away, it remains uncertain whether the technology developed today will be sufficient for The Witcher 6's launch on new consoles and GPU hardware.
In addition to its ongoing efforts in developing The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2077 sequels, CDPR is working on a multiplayer Witcher spinoff (Project Sirius) and an unconfirmed project known as Project Hadar. These developments come amidst the growth of the company from a relatively small team when The Witcher 3 was released to over 447 active developers in its latest Earnings Report.
While some critics might question CDPR's lofty ambitions, it remains to be seen whether the studio will successfully deliver on its promise of three full-sized Witcher games within six years.
The shift from their proprietary REDEngine to Unreal Engine has given CDPR a significant boost in terms of development predictability and efficiency, according to VP of Business Development Michaล Nowakowski. This change has allowed the studio to harness the cutting-edge game development tools offered by Epic's popular engine.
To be clear, the six-year period starts with the release of The Witcher 4. If all three games are delivered as planned, this means that CDPR will have two additional sequels within a span of five years. Although it seems ambitious, given the roughly eight-year gap between the 2007 release of The Witcher and the 2015 release of The Witcher 3.
A new demo showcasing The Witcher 4's impressive graphics technology surfaced at Epic's State of Unreal presentation this summer. However, this was labeled as "not actual gameplay," even during sections being controlled live by a CDPR developer.
The ambitious development schedule has sparked concerns regarding the potential for technological updates and future-proofing. With Epic announcing a preview of Unreal Engine 6 possibly just two to three years away, it remains uncertain whether the technology developed today will be sufficient for The Witcher 6's launch on new consoles and GPU hardware.
In addition to its ongoing efforts in developing The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2077 sequels, CDPR is working on a multiplayer Witcher spinoff (Project Sirius) and an unconfirmed project known as Project Hadar. These developments come amidst the growth of the company from a relatively small team when The Witcher 3 was released to over 447 active developers in its latest Earnings Report.
While some critics might question CDPR's lofty ambitions, it remains to be seen whether the studio will successfully deliver on its promise of three full-sized Witcher games within six years.
! They need to make sure these new graphics hold up, especially when the next gen consoles come out. It's like, don't wanna be stuck with outdated tech mid-game, you feel? 
Still, I trust CDPR to get it done, they've been killing it since The Witcher 3. Maybe we'll see some major updates in Project Sirius too? 
! CD Projekt Red is really pushing the limits with this ambitious plan, and I gotta respect that. The shift to Unreal Engine has definitely given them a boost, but at the same time, it's a big risk taking on new tech like UE6. What if they don't have enough time to get everything perfected? 
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. I get that they've got some new tech like Unreal Engine 6 coming out, but it's not clear if their current tech will be able to handle the demands of a next-gen console 
. The demo for Witcher 4 looked sick though 
. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how this whole thing plays out 
also can we talk about how fast technology is advancing now? epic just announced unreal engine 6 preview and it feels like just yesterday we were playing on consoles 
cdpr's got some big shoes to fill, hope they can pull it off 
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They're gonna kill it with Unreal Engine 6 tho, Epic better make sure it's stable by then 
. I mean CDPR's got a massive team now, 447 devs? That's insane 
, they gotta deliver on these games or else they'll get roasted online 
. I'm not worried about the graphics tech, they're gonna push it hard and make it look amazing 
, but what if they hit a roadblock with the updates? 
the worry isnt about them being reckless but if they can keep up with epic's updates & new gpu hardware
. CDPR is already working hard with The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2077 sequels, and adding more projects to the mix sounds like it could get messy 
. And what about the potential for technological updates and future-proofing? With Unreal Engine 6 on the horizon, are they really sure their current tech will hold up? 
will their current setup even work on next gen hardware?! 
CDPR has grown from a tiny team (2015) to a behemoth with 447 devs. That's a growth rate of ~10x over the past decade, if we assume an average team size of 35 devs. This exponential growth is likely due to their success with The Witcher 3 & Cyberpunk 2077 
They're now one of the largest PC game studios in the world, with a market cap of ~$10B 
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. That's just a fancy way of saying they're testing the waters, you know? And now we're all wondering if their next-gen games will be able to keep up with the tech advancements 
. Will CDPR manage to deliver on their promise of three Witcher games within six years? Or will they find themselves stuck in a never-ending cycle of game development and disappointment