The Witcher 4: Everything CD Projekt Red has revealed about ‘Polaris’

As a seasoned gamer with over two decades under my belt, I can’t help but feel the anticipation building like a storm brewing over the Continent. The news about the new Witcher game has sent tremors through the gaming community, and I find myself eagerly awaiting what CD Projekt Red has in store for us.

A fresh Witcher title is currently being crafted by CD Projekt Red, who’ve previously produced The Witcher trilogy and side games like Gwent. However, specifics about this upcoming game in the fantasy gaming series are still scarce. But we can confirm that the game, referred to as Project Polaris, will initiate a new narrative arc for the Witcher franchise.

CD Projekt Red announced in 2022 that they plan to launch additional two games following ‘Polaris’, thereby forming a brand-new, triple-A role-playing game series of three titles.

CD Projekt Red is shifting from its self-developed REDengine, previously used in games like ‘The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings’ and ‘The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’, towards Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 5. In a strategic partnership announced in March 2022, CD Projekt Red developers will work closely with Epic to customize the engine for open-world games. Given this collaboration, it appears that the next Witcher game is likely to be another immersive open-world experience.

CD Projekt Red has yet to reveal the title, gameplay specifics, or a launch date for the upcoming mainline Witcher installment. At this point, we’re in the dark regarding the storyline and characters that will feature in it. However, here are the facts we have about the next chapter of The Witcher series.

The School of the Lynx

One hint CD Projekt Red has given about its upcoming Witcher story is an artwork depicting a medallion buried in snow, which some fans initially believed to be a nod to the School of the Cat from The Witcher universe. However, CD Projekt Red’s global communication director, Robert Malinowski, clarified to Eurogamer following the project’s unveiling that the medallion resembles a lynx, not necessarily indicating a School of the Lynx within the series as lynxes are part of the cat family and not canonically featured in The Witcher books or games. (Geralt, though, is indeed a witcher from the School of the Wolf.)

It’s widely believed that Ciri, the protagonist from The Witcher series, could be central to the upcoming Witcher storyline. This assumption stems from her retrieval of a cat medallion from Leo Bonhart, a bounty hunter who targeted witchers. The cat/lynx connection might be significant in this context because Ciri has been wearing the medallion herself.

It’s (probably) not an Epic Games Store exclusive

Although CD Projekt Red and Epic Games have a long-term collaboration, they haven’t decided to make the upcoming Witcher game exclusive to Epic Games Store. While Epic Games has been purchasing games that are only available on their platform, it seems unlikely for The Witcher series to follow this model. CD Projekt Red wants to emphasize that there won’t be any exclusivity deals, given they also operate GOG.com (Good Old Games), where they’ve achieved multi-platform success over the past decade.

It’s (probably) not named The Witcher 4

Back in 2013, Marcin Iwinski from CD Projekt Red stated that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (alongside its two expansions) concluded Geralt’s saga. After the announcement of a new Witcher game, Radek Grabowski, global PR director of CD Projekt, clarified on Twitter that they have not announced a game titled “The Witcher 4”.

It’s quite probable that enthusiasts and journalists will continue using “The Witcher 4” as a nickname for the upcoming game, since it’s convenient until CD Projekt Red officially announces its title. Interestingly, even CDPR’s chief strategy officer, Adam Kiciński, referred to the game as “The Witcher 4” during an earnings call in 2023; however, the developer later clarified that this was simply a verbal slip-up.

It’s not just “The Witcher 3 in new clothing”

According to CD Projekt Red’s statements, they aim to venture into unexplored territories and challenge limits when it comes to the development of their upcoming Witcher game, as mentioned back in March 2024 during a pre-production phase.

Nowakowski suggested, “In essence, what I mean is don’t anticipate a simple remake of ‘The Witcher 3’, more like a fresh take with new features. We’re building upon the foundation laid by our past games, but we’re also introducing innovative gameplay elements and mechanics that you haven’t seen in our previous works. Keep in mind, innovation often involves risk, it’s not just about repeating what was done before.”

The new Witcher game does not have a release date

Considering CD Projekt Red’s track record of game development, it seems likely that we’ll have to wait quite some time for the next Witcher saga. For instance, the last installment, “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt,” began development in the summer of 2011, but wasn’t officially revealed until two years later, and it didn’t reach players until May 2015. Similarly, their latest release, “Cyberpunk 2077,” was first hinted at in 2012, and after a challenging eight-year development period, it finally came out with some technical issues in December 2020.

In simpler terms, it’s clear that the next Witcher game is not due out for quite some time. CD Projekt Red plans to invest a significant amount of time in creating their new storyline, and they will likely devote additional effort to fine-tuning and fixing any issues with the sequel to the Witcher trilogy, as they want to avoid repeating the problems experienced with Cyberpunk 2077.

In January 2024, CDPR’s co-CEO Adam Badowski informed Reuters that approximately 400 individuals would be working on the upcoming Witcher game project by mid-year. Therefore, it’s clear that development on this next Witcher game is steadily advancing.

What we think we know

Drawing from the diverse and impactful conclusions in the narrative of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and considering both favorable and unfavorable outcomes, there’s much room for intriguing conjectures regarding the series’ future trajectory following Geralt’s saga. For those interested in exploring potential paths, here’s a glimpse at where The Witcher may head post-Wild Hunt.

2024-08-11 17:19

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