When The Witcher 4 comes out, some of us will probably look like white wolves ourselves because the project is so far in the future. Currently there is only a rough framework, a first promo picture and of course the promise that the witcher saga will be continued. But we also already know the technical trappings: CD Projekt has announced that it will enter into a partnership with Epic for The Witcher 4.
This does not affect the further development of Cyberpunk 2077 for the time being – here the in-house REDengine remains true, but The Witcher 4 is created in the Unreal Engine 5. But what does this epic partnership really mean? Will the game be an Epics Game Store exclusive?
The Witcher at GameStar Plus
The Witcher is an extremely popular role-playing series among our readers and our team. At GameStar Plus you will therefore find a lot of exciting content about The Witcher with exclusive insights into the development.
The Witcher should remain cross-store
In response to concerns in the community, CD Projekt has already commented on the subject. The official Witcher Twitter account writes:
link to Twitter content
So literally translated: We have no plans to make the game exclusive to a single shop.
It was unlikely that The Witcher 4 would be completely epic exclusive. CD Projekt wouldn’t pass up the chance to distribute the game DRM-free in their own GOG store. But will the game also appear on Steam? At least that’s what the tweet gives hope for – experience has shown that plans can change and the tweet doesn’t say: We will definitely launch on Steam
.
But in the announcement of The Witcher 4, the developers primarily speak of a tech partnership. So it’s all about the technical aspect of Unreal Engine 5. The official statement from CD Projekt’s head of technology Pawel Zawodny:
A key focus of our internal ‘RED 2.0’ transformation is an increased focus on technology. And our collaboration with Epic Games is based on this principle. Right from the start, we weren’t concerned with a typical licensing arrangement; Epic and we see this as a long-term, fulfilling tech partnership. As a CD project, it is important to us to determine the technical direction of our new project as early as possible. In the past we had to invest a lot of resources and energy in further developing and customizing REDengine for each new project. That’s why the partnership appeals to us so much: We can now plan much more efficiently and predictably – and at the same time get access to a state-of-the-art development tool. I can’t wait to see the amazing games we make with Unreal Engine 5.
Pawel Zawodny
Should anything change in the Epic exclusivity, we will of course inform you immediately. At the moment, however, we remain at least cautiously optimistic that The Witcher 4 will also appear on Steam. Or maybe even in Game Pass – who knows what will happen in the next few years.
Michael Graf also talks to Leya and Schuhmann about the announcement of the new The Witcher in the MeinMMO podcast:
link to Podcast Content
What are your expectations for The Witcher 4 (or whatever else it may ultimately be called)? Write it in the comments!
