How does the collaboration with Epic and the Unreal Engine affect the development of The Witcher 4? CD Projekt draws a clear line.
When The Witcher 4 comes out, some of us will probably look like white wolves ourselves because the project is still so far in the future. Currently, there’s just a rough framework, a first promo image and of course the promise that the Witcher saga will continue. But we already know the technical details: CD Projekt has announced a partnership with Epic for The Witcher 4.
This does not affect the further development of Cyberpunk 2077 for the time being – here they will remain faithful to their own REDengine, but The Witcher 4 will be developed in the Unreal Engine 5. But what does this Epic partnership really mean? Will the game be released exclusively in Epic’s Game Store?
The Witcher should remain cross-store
In response to concerns in the community, CD Projekt has already spoken out on the issue. The official Witcher Twitter account writes:
EGS exclusive at launch = no interest from me whatsoever
– Sebastian Castellanos (@Sebasti66855537) March 21, 2022
So literally: We have no plans to make the game exclusive to a single shop.
The Witcher 4 becoming completely Epic-exclusive was unlikely anyway. CD Projekt wouldn’t miss the chance to distribute the game DRM-free in the in-house GOG shop. But will the game also appear on Steam? At least that’s what the tweet leads us to hope – plans can change, after all, as experience shows, and the tweet doesn’t say: we will definitely launch on Steam.
But in the announcement of The Witcher 4, the developers talk primarily about a tech partnership. So it’s mostly about the technical aspect of Unreal Engine 5. The official statement from CD Projekt’s head of tech Pawel Zawodny:
” One of the key focuses of our internal ‘RED 2.0’ transformation is a stronger focus on technology. And our collaboration with Epic Games is based on this principle. From the beginning, we weren’t looking for a typical licensing arrangement; Epic and we see this as a long-term, fulfilling tech partnership. As CD Projekt, it’s important for us to set the technical thrust of our new project as early as possible. In the past, we have had to invest a lot of resources and a lot of energy on developing and customising the REDengine for each new project. That is why the partnership excites 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 what great games we design with Unreal Engine 5“.
If there is any change to 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 the Game Pass – who knows what will happen in the next few years?
What are your expectations for The Witcher 4 (or whatever else it might ultimately be called)? Post it in the comments!
