CD PROJEKT RED begins development on Unreal Engine 5 as part of a strategic partnership with Epic Games.
CD PROJEKT RED today announced that the next installment in The Witcher video game franchise will be developed using Unreal Engine 5. This begins a new saga for this brand and at the same time a new technology partnership with Epic Games.
Today’s announcement is the first official confirmation of a new game in The Witcher series since the release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – CD PROJEKT RED’s last single-player AAA RPG in the series, which has won a total of 250 Game of the Year awards and beyond was successfully expanded with the add-ons Hearts of Stone and Blood & Wine.
The teaser image for the new game shows a medallion accompanied by the claim “A new saga begins”. Aside from this first confirmation of a new saga in The Witcher franchise, no other details – such as a development timeline or release date – have been given.
CD PROJEKT RED also announced that they will be moving to Unreal Engine 5 as part of a multi-year strategic partnership with Epic Games. Since The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings released in 2011, CD PROJEKT RED has used its proprietary REDengine technology to develop its games. The new partnership with Epic includes not only licensing but also technical development of Unreal Engine 5 and potential future versions of Unreal Engine where relevant. CD PROJEKT RED developers will be working with partners from Epic, with the primary goal of adapting the engine for open-world experiences, starting with development of the next game in The Witcher franchise.
CD PROJEKT RED CTO Paweł Zawodny spoke about using Unreal Engine 5 for this and future games:
“One of the core aspects of our internal RED 2.0 transformation is a much stronger focus on technology – and our collaboration with Epic Games is based on this very principle. From the beginning we didn’t consider a typical license agreement; both we and Epic see this as a long-term, fulfilling technology partnership. For CD PROJEKT RED, it is crucial that the technical direction of our next game is set as early as possible, as we have historically devoted a lot of resources and energy to evolving and adapting the REDengine with each subsequent game release. This collaboration is particularly exciting because it increases the predictability and efficiency of development while giving us access to the most modern game development tools. I can’t wait for the great games we will be making with Unreal Engine 5!”Tim Sweeney, Founder and CEO of Epic Games, on this partnership:
“Epic developed Unreal Engine 5 to enable teams to create dynamic open worlds at an unprecedented scale and level of detail. We are honored to have the opportunity to work with CD PROJEKT RED – together we aim to push the boundaries of interactive storytelling and gameplay – and this effort will benefit the developer community for years to come.”
Simultaneously with these announcements, CD PROJEKT RED also confirmed that the REDengine – the technology that powers Cyberpunk 2077 – will continue to be used for the development of the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 expansion.
= Partner & affiliate links: Possible listed offers are usually provided with so-called affiliate links. With a purchase through one of these links you support Xboxdynasty. Without affecting the price, we receive a small commission from the provider and can offer this website to you free of charge.
