CD Projekt Red Announces The Witcher Remake, to Use Unreal Engine 5

The Witcher is getting a remake. In a tweet, publisher CD Projekt Red confirmed that its 2007 dark fantasy RPG is being rebuilt from the ground up, using Unreal Engine 5. Polish studio Fool’s Theory is leading development on the remake, which consists of veteran The Witcher series staff. Of course, CD Projekt Red will provide full creative supervision, as they try expanding the universe over the next few years, with five new games, as revealed during its Group Strategy Update stream, held earlier this month. The company has now confirmed that codename “Canis Majoris,” a full-fledged story-driven open-world title, was in reference to The Witcher remake.

As part of the announcement, CD Projekt Red stated: “We want to do this right, so please be patient — it’s gonna be a while until we can share more details.” The studio previously faced backlash owing to a rushed rollout on Cyberpunk 2077, which resulted in a buggy mess that was eventually pulled from sale on PS4.

The original The Witcher game was released 15 years ago on October 26, starring the gruff monster hunter Geralt of Rivia, who was on a quest to regain his memories. Based on the fantasy book series by Andrzej Sapkowski, it introduced three camera views, including an over-the-shoulder view — a rarity in RPGs at the time. And while the 2007-released title received an Enhanced Edition, this would be the first time CD Projekt Red is fully rebuilding one.

Cyberpunk 2077 PS4 Review: Blurry, Buggy, Broken

“The Witcher is where it all started for us, for CD Projekt Red,” said studio head Adam Badowski in a blog post. “It was the first game we made, ever, and it was a big moment for us then. Going back to this place and remaking the game for the next generation of gamers to experience it feels just as big, if not bigger.” He further notes that the developers at Fool’s Theory have been involved in previous The Witcher games, and trusts them with reincorporating the source material in an honourable fashion. The studio previously contributed to Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Baldur’s Gate III, and Outriders, among others.

Earlier this month, CD Projekt Red announced four new titles in The Witcher series, stating that they will be solely committed to it in the upcoming years. The plans included a new trilogy codenamed project Polaris, an online multiplayer focused Sirius, and the aforementioned Canis Majoris, which is now confirmed to be The Witcher remake. The publisher had previously unveiled the first of the said trilogy, earlier this year, adding that it will be ditching its in-house RED Engine toolkit for Unreal Engine 5 — thanks to its new, long-term partnership with Epic Games. As stated before, the same toolkit will be used for The Witcher remake as well.

CD Projekt Red also has plans to expand on the dystopian future-set Cyberpunk 2077 universe, by introducing a sequel codenamed “Orion.” The project is still in early development, and aims to “take the Cyberpunk franchise further and continue harnessing the potential of this dark future universe.”

Further details on The Witcher remake should be revealed in time, though we can expect it to launch across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X. In the meantime, CD Projekt Red still plans to deliver the PS5 and Series S/X versions of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, sometime this year.