Among steering off clearly into a bold new direction with anotherWitchersaga and new IP on the way, CD Projekt Red also has some work dedicated to its past lined up. Namely, there’s a remake in the works of thefirstWitchergame being developed for Unreal Engine 5. AsThe Witcherreleased way back in 2009 and is clearly showing its age when compared to the more recent works of CD Projekt Red, many were excited at the news that a remake of Geralt’s first video game outing was on the way.
However, even with the hype train forThe Witcherremake having already left the station, it seems that there will be a significant amount of time before the game releases. CD Projekt Red has confirmed thatThe Witcherremake will release after Polaris, thefirst entry in the newWitchersaga. With at least a few years between now and the game’s release, then, there’s plenty of time to speculate on whatThe Witcherremake will look like, and how the works of CD Projekt Red’s past will influence it.
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How Cyberpunk 2077 Could Influence The Witcher Remake
It is important to clarify that CD Projekt Red isn’t actually the primary developer working onThe Witcherremake. Instead that title goes to Polish studio Fool’s Theory. However, CD Projekt Red will be overseeing work on the game and so there is still a good chance that the studios' previous projects could influence the upcoming release. While it is highly likely thatThe Witcherremake will take a lot fromThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, there is another recent game from CD Projekt Red that could have some influence too.
Namely,The Witcherremake could potentially learn a lot fromCyberpunk 2077. This isn’t to say thatThe Witcherremake will allow Geralt to put Mantis Blades in his arms, or that it will feature a sudden transition to a sci-fi setting. However, there are a lot of lessons learned fromCyberpunk 2077’sreleasethat CD Projekt Red will likely use to influence all of its new titles, includingThe Witcherremake.
It is no secret by now thatCyberpunk 2077did not launch in a great state. While the game is widely enjoyed now, and it has had a great comeback story, at the time of its release many were taking aim at CD Projekt Red for the buggy mess it had launched. FutureCD Projekt Red games shouldn’t look to followCyberpunk 2077’sexample, even if the game is popular now, and so this will likely contribute to the development ofThe Witcherremake. Already, it seems Fool’s Theory and CD Projekt Red are avoiding rushing into this project, as shown by the fact the game is set to come out after the first entry of the newWitchersaga.
This implies that despite announcing the game in 2022, a lot of time will be spent makingThe Witcherremake as good as it can be. One could argue thatThe Witcherremake isn’t as at risk of launching poorly asCyberpunk 2077was due to it being a newer version of an older game. However, rather than a regular remake or remaster,The Witcherfrom Fool’s Theory looks to be a complete reimagining, with an open world replacing the different zones of the original title. With this ambition, there is still a chance that high promises early on could negatively impact how fans see the game.
Again,Cyberpunk 2077could contribute somewhat here, as it made an open world with distinct areas, something that would benefitThe Witcherremake to make each part of the game’s narrative feel unique. WhileCyberpunk 2077might not offer as much of an influence as theotherWitchergames, it marks a point of learning for CD Projekt Red. In the future, the company should seek to take the time necessary to create the game it has promised, rather than forcing an unfinished title out. Of course, more often than not rushed games are not solely the fault of the developers, but fromCyberpunk 2077’slaunch hopefully CD Projekt Red can learn to be more transparent with its audience and not let the hype get too big for its own good.
