The Unreal Engine 5 is here. And there are some games already in the works with it, like a new Tomb Raider. The new open world game “The Witcher 4” (working title) is not developed with the in-house RED engine from CD Projekt, but also with the UE5. And now a video suggests that CD Projekt Red was convinced by a “Witcher Tech Demo”..
This is an important step for the developer from Poland, following all they have developed an engine themselves. The Witcher 3, but also Cyberpunk 2077 run with it – the latter with a heavily updated version. Maybe the cost factor was a reason, following all, Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most expensive video games that have ever been released. The switch to Unreal Engine 5 is certainly a big step that has been well considered, but Epic itself may have ensured that the decision came that way.
The Witcher 4: Epic and its “Witcher demo” as an icebreaker in the engine debate?
The official Unreal Engine Twitter account published an interview with Pawel Zawodny, CDPR’s Chief Technical Officer, on how Epic’s shift towards open worlds drew the attention of Witcher developers. A specific demo may have led to how Director Jason Slama revealed in the video.
“Last year there was a demo that showed the medieval setting where at one point there was a bulletin board that looks oddly familiar from things we’ve done in the past and even a sign that said ‘Monster Slayer Wanted ‘ has,” according to Slama. “And I think, hmm, are they trying to tell us, ‘come over to Unreal Engine, see how awesome your games might look there’, was this whole demo made for this nefarious purpose? I don’t know, but it certainly caught my eye.”
Soak in more information on why @CDPROJEKTRED has chosen to use # UE5 to build new open-world games, including a new saga for The Witcher! ???? pic.twitter.com/IVKFKljwf7
— Unreal Engine (@UnrealEngine) April 5, 2022
In fact, you get Twitter-Video above you can also see some excerpts from this tech demo. We see a medieval village with fire, smoky light and a dark forest. These moving images might have come straight from The Witcher 4.
Whether the tech demo was intentional or not, CD Projekt Red is developing the next The Witcher game with the Unreal Engine 5. And we look forward to hearing regarding the development of the game over the next few years. And hopefully nobody shows up the idea of making a multiplayer game out of it.