Latest news with #TheWitcher4
Metro
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
The Witcher 4 designed for PS5 and not PC after 'so many problems' scaling down
CD Projekt has discussed its technical ambitions for The Witcher 4, which marks a big change in strategy for the studio. The history of CD Projekt is rooted in the PC market, stemming back to the original The Witcher in 2007 and their origins as a CD-ROM importer, but development of The Witcher 4 will see the studio make a shift in priorities. The majority of CD Projekt's games have been built for PC first, with console versions scaled down from this baseline to accommodate their technical limitations. However, this method has caused some issues in the past, with console versions of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077 riddled with problems at launch – especially the latter. An Unreal Engine 5 demo for The Witcher 4 earlier this month indicated a possible sea change at the studio, showing the upcoming sequel running on a standard PlayStation 5 at 60fps. Now, CD Projekt has confirmed Sony's console is the priority for The Witcher 4. When asked by Digital Foundry, about the reasons why it chose to show the Unreal Engine 5 demo on PlayStation 5, Charles Tremblay, vice president of technology at CD Projekt, said: 'As you said, we always do PC and we push [the technology] and try to scale down. But then we had so many problems in the past that we tried to see, ok this time around we really want to be more console-first development.' After noting the challenge of targeting 60fps on PlayStation 5 with a game like The Witcher 4, he added: 'Where we go from there is hard to say, but right now we really wanted to focus on what does it mean to make this ambition on a console, and we have all our other projects at 60fps and we really wanted to aim for 60fps once again.' While it remains to be seen what this means for the PC version, Tremblay did reassure PC players that it still wants to offer the 'best experience' for those on the platform. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. When asked how the studio would potentially scale up The Witcher 4 beyond PlayStation 5, Tremblay said: 'I don't want to go too much in details and again, not to overpromise, but in the past something that's super important for the group is that if people pay good money for their hardware, then we want them to have what the game can provide for that. Not like a simplified experience. So this is something we'll definitely explore. 'The company started as a PC company and we definitely will want to have the best experience for the PC gamer for sure, but it's too early to say what it will mean for The Witcher 4.' According to Tremblay, the bigger hurdle is scaling down from the PlayStation 5 version, most notably for the Xbox Series S. More Trending 'This is something that is next on our radar for sure,' Tremblay replied, when asked about the Xbox Series S version. 'I will say that 60fps will definitely be extremely challenging on [Xbox] Series S. Let's just say this is something that we need to figure out.' As per Microsoft rules, developers have to ensure their games can run on both the Xbox Series X and the Xbox Series S, with no difference in features. This has caused problems in the past, with Baldur's Gate 3 being delayed on Xbox Series X/S due to issues related to the lower-powered console. The Witcher 4 doesn't have a release date yet but it is expected to launch in 2027, with a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077 set to follow. That's around the time that the PlayStation 6 has been rumoured for release, but unsurprisingly Tremblay made no mention of that. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Nintendo Switch 2 sales numbers smash records in the US and worldwide MORE: Red Dead Redemption 2 actor teases news this week as fans hope for Switch 2 port MORE: Games Inbox: Would Xbox ever shut down Game Pass?
Metro
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
The Witcher 3 rumour says new DLC is on the way but it's not a full expansion
After celebrating its 10th anniversary, The Witcher 3 is rumoured to be getting another update besides mod support. Given it's hard at work on both The Witcher 4 and the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, you wouldn't think CD Projekt would have time to revisit The Witcher 3, beyond the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S update in 2022. And yet the game is set to receive full mod support later this year and now a fresh rumour has begun circulating, claiming that the now 10-year-old game is receiving a new expansion too. This is supposedly being made, not by CD Projekt Red, but by Fool's Theory, a separate Polish studio CD Projekt enlisted to helm a full remake of the first Witcher game (which is currently MIA). The rumour comes from a pair of popular Polish podcasters called Rock & Borys. At least we assume they're popular, given their YouTube channel boasts 1.45 million subscribers. According to them (per a translation by MP1st) the DLC will be story related and is expected to arrive after The Witcher 3's mod support. No exact date has been given yet for when that'll happen, but it's supposed to be happening later this year. Depending on the timing, this means any new Witcher 3 DLC may not be out until 2026. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. However, despite what some have assumed, this doesn't sound like it will be a full expansion like the Hearts Of Stone and Blood And Wine and it's unclear if it will be a free update or something you'll need to spend money on. While any such rumour should be taken with a grain of salt, some fans on Reddit claim Rock & Borys have contacts within CD Projekt and thus can be considered reliable with their claims. It would also make some sense, since The Witcher 3 did celebrate is 10th anniversary this past May, where CD Projekt revealed the game had sold over 60 million copies. With mod support sure to draw back fans, that'll be an opportune time to drop more content for them to sink their teeth into, especially since both The Witcher 4 and The Witcher 1 remake lack any firm release date. More Trending CD Projekt's latest financial report did insinuate The Witcher 4 could launch as early as 2027, but the studio couldn't promise it wouldn't need to push the game back. A tech demo for The Witcher 4 was also shown recently, giving fans a first glimpse at how it'll run using Epic Games' Unreal Engine 5. It was an impressive showing, especially since it was said to be running on a base PlayStation 5 and not a PS5 Pro. However, CD Projekt soon tried to downplay expectations, issuing a statement stressing that the demo is not meant to be indicative of the final product and it could look quite differently. 'It's important to keep in mind that this tech demo isn't meant to represent The Witcher 4 – it's a showcase of the tools we're developing together with Epic Games. That means specific visuals like character models and environments may be different to The Witcher 4,' said a studio representative. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: The Witcher 4 will be 'bigger' and 'better' than The Witcher 3 says CD Projekt MORE: The Witcher 4 'won't focus on Geralt' but he will be involved confirms voice actor MORE: Cyberpunk 2077 sequel will feature at least two cities says franchise creator
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Unreal Fest reveals that 'The Witcher 4' looks great on PS5, but what does that mean for PC?
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. If you weren't tapped into the Epic Games' Unreal Fest stream on Tuesday, you might've been sorry to miss all-new gameplay from The Witcher 4. To be fair, it's less of a gameplay demo and more of a tech demo, but it's still quite exciting. The clip shown of The Witcher 4 was shot on PS5 at 60 frames per second. I haven't seen a more high-fidelity game on the PS5 outside of The Last of Us Part II. The truth is that developers can make games with super high fidelity. The problem is that it not only takes time, but it's a killer on graphics cards. According to Epic Games, the solution to those problems is the latest version of its 3D graphics game engine, Unreal Engine 5.6, announced on Wednesday. Here's what The Witcher 4 is capable of, and how what was shown on just a PS5 may impact what we see on PC. Best Gaming Laptop Get Laptop Mag's best gaming laptop for $500 off while you can. The MSI Raider 18 HX AI features an Intel Core Ultra 9-285HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080, 64GB DDR5, 4TB NVMe SSD, and an 18-inch 4K UHD+ mini LED Deal Unreal Engine 5.6 is clearly focused on "eliminating key CPU bottlenecks," to use the words of an Epic Games press release. For example, the Unreal Fest stream showed a crowd of over 300 people in the market square of Valdrest, the port city in The Witcher, going about their business with little impact on the performance. The demo also showed diverse character interactions, from people bargaining with merchants to people getting tossed out of the inn. Now, we've seen these things before in plenty of games. However, you usually don't see that kind of thing with this level of fidelity, intractability, and quantity, because your GPU might explode. You usually don't see that kind of thing with this level of fidelity, intractability, and quantity, because your GPU might explode. But one of the biggest updates is to the foliage, specifically the addition of Nanite Foliage. Developers can model every leaf and pine needle while maintaining memory efficiency and fast rendering. For those unaware, Unreal's signature Nanite system is an internal mesh format and rendering technology that allows for pixel-scale detail that can dial back and reveal enough detail that can be perceived. So a tree off in the mountains may look like a mesh of cubes up close, but from where you're standing, it looks like a perfect recreation of the trees around you. There's also an update to motion called Multi-Character Motion Matching. So when Ciri hops on her horse, Kelpie, the interaction looks seamless from every angle, even when you're hopping on her at high speed. Unreal Engine's Chaos Flesh Solver also makes Kelpie's muscles look realistic as you're riding her. Again, the demo was showcased in PS5. I can see myself getting lost in this immersive world of the demo alone. It's thanks to consoles that technology like Unreal Engine 5.6 exists because high fidelity in relatively mid-performing tech is key. But what will The Witcher 4 look like on one of the best gaming laptops? Well, I'm a bit scared and excited. It won't be the same level of fidelity just with enhanced resolution and frame rates. We know for a fact that Nvidia's DLSS 4 super sampling technology is making its way onto The Witcher 4. We still don't know exactly what CD Projekt RED is implementing with Nvidia's technology. More than likely, we'll get DLAA and Multi-Frame Generation to remove visual artifacts, but what level of ray tracing will be available? And how much different will The Witcher 4 be compared with the PS5 demo we just saw? Keep in mind that we don't even have a release date for The Witcher 4, and the next generation of consoles is not too far away, likely within the next couple years. So while the demo today was hella gorgeous, I think we only scratched the surface of what this game might look like. I played Elden Ring Nightreign on the RTX 5090, Intel Arc 140V, and AMD Radeon 8060S — here's what happened Doom: The Dark Ages is my favorite kind of nightmare — this is how it runs on an RTX 5090 gaming laptop The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion: Remastered is here, and this is how it runs on my RTX 5090 gaming laptop
Forbes
05-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Ciri Looks Like Her Old Self In New ‘The Witcher 4' Tech Demo
The Witcher 4 When the first trailer for CD Projekt RED's upcoming The Witcher 4 came out, a lot of fans expressed concerns about Ciri becoming the game's protagonist. Some of this was lore-based, with fans questioning how Ciri could become a full-blown Witcher given her Elder blood. Others thought the character model just looked off. I was among these – not because this new version of Ciri was 'ugly' but because she looked nothing whatsoever like Ciri from The Witcher 3, which was kind of strange. She didn't look like an older version of the character, either, as some people claimed. She looked like a different character altogether. Unrecognizable. (And not because she looked more like her voice actor, either, which she does not in either version). In the developer's new tech demo, major changes to Ciri's facial structure reveal a return to a character who looks much more similar to the model in The Witcher 3. She looks a bit older, which makes sense, but there's no denying the resemblance. I bring this up because I think it shows CDPR is willing to make adjustments based on fan feedback, which is a good thing. I'm also incredibly impressed with the new voice actor, Ciara Berkeley, who does a great job playing a somewhat older Ciri. She takes over for the excellent Jo Wyatt. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder The tech demo itself looks fantastic, but it's important that this is a demo – not actual gameplay from the final game. Just a slice carved off to show the world, polished and primed. It certainly shows off what Unreal Engine 5 is capable of, and frankly if the final product looks even remotely close to this good, I'll be deeply impressed. If it manages to run at 4k / 60fps on modern consoles, I'll do a happy dance (though I'll be playing on PC, naturally). But I remain skeptical, not just because CDPR has certainly let us down in the past (thank you Cyberpunk 2077 launch!) but because I've been doing this for a long time, and I've seen countless tech demos that look far, far better than the final product. They promise the world and then deliver . . . less. But hey, I'd happily be wrong on this count. The game doesn't just look amazing, it has such enormous attention to detail, like the musculature of Ciri's horse, Kelpie, and the thick, living forests using 'nanite foliage' technology. It certainly looks better than those crazy trees in The Witcher 3. The good news is that Epic Games is working closely with CDPR on this game, which should translate into the most efficient and accurate use of Unreal Engine 5 possible. The reactive nature of the NPCs in the market is incredibly impressive, and I wonder if some of Epic's progress with AI in Fortnite will carry over into The Witcher 4. Whatever the case, watching this tech demo makes me want to live in this world. I suspect that when the game finally comes out, I will do just that. If you're looking for more Witcher content in the meantime, I've really been enjoying Viva La Dirt League's Witcher sketches, which are in many ways better than Netflix's series.
Time of India
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Ciri Is the new Witcher: Everything you should know
CD Projekt Red has confirmed that Ciri will be the main protagonist in The Witcher 4, marking a new chapter in the franchise. This shift follows the conclusion of Geralt's story and introduces players to a fresh perspective within the Witcher universe.
