CD Projekt Red Confirms That an UE5-powered Remake of The Witcher is in the Works
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- CD Projekt Red has officially confirmed that The Witcher remake will be made on Unreal Engine 5.
- The Witcher sold over 1 million copies.
- The Witcher Remake was announced in October 2022 and is now in the works by developer Fool’s Theory.
Polish game developer CD Projekt Red has officially confirmed that a remake of its 2007 hit The Witcher is in the works and will be rebuilt from the ground up using Unreal Engine 5.
The Witcher Remake, which was announced in October 2022, is a full modernization of the original game, which introduced players to Geralt of Rivia, a monster-hunting hero navigating a dark, medieval fantasy world inspired by Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels.
CD Projekt Red has promised that the remake will maintain the story’s core while addressing outdated gameplay mechanics and enhancing elements that have aged poorly.
The remake of the first part of Witcher’s franchise is now in the hands of the developer Fool’s Theory, the studio that was founded in 2015 by former members of CD Projekt RED and is most known for developing Seven: The Days Long Gone 2017 and The Thaumaturge 2024. Jakub Rokosz, head of the Fool’s Theory, emphasized the importance of respecting the original game while modernizing its systems. “First and foremost, we need an honest, down-to-earth analysis of which parts are simply bad, outdated, and need to be remade,” said Rokosz. “At the same time, we will highlight the parts that are great and are direct key pillars that can’t be discarded,” stated the head of the remake developer.
The rebirthed title will feature a fully open-world structure. Unlike the original Witcher, which was divided into linear zones, the remake will adopt the expansive open-world approach seen in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
CD Projekt Red is overseeing the remake, and a member of the Board at CD Projekt Red, Adam Badowski, expressed confidence in the collaboration, noting that Fool’s Theory not only has a deep understanding of the source material and fans’ expectations but is comprised of industry veterans, many of whom worked on the original Witcher. “Going back to this place and remaking the game for the next generation of gamers to experience feels just as big, if not bigger, than when we first released The Witcher in 2007,” Badowski said.
The remake will utilize Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 5, marking a departure from CD Projekt Red’s proprietary RedEngine, which powered the original trilogy. This move aligns with CD Projekt’s broader strategy, as The Witcher 4 and other upcoming titles will also be developed using Unreal Engine 5.
As of May 2023, the original The Witcher game, released in 2007, has sold over 1 million copies. Its remake is just one of several major projects in development at CD Projekt Red. Alongside this title, the studio is working on The Witcher 4, a new IP codenamed Project Hadar, and a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077.
