CD Projekt Red recently announced that a remake of the original Witcher game is now in the works. It also announced that it will utilize Unreal Engine 5. Keep reading to learn more about it.
CD Projekt Red (CDPR) announced on the Witcher Twitter account that they were partnering up with Fool's Theory for the original Witcher game's remake. Codenamed Canis Majoris, this is actually one of the three games that CDPR said they were working on earlier this month. Back then, all we knew about the project was that it was separate from the new Witcher Trilogy. We also new that an unnamed external studio was working on it. Now, we have more details about the project.
They further expanded on the remake on their official website. There, they announced that the game was in the early stages of development, headed by the Polish studio Fool's Theory. Fool's Theory is one of the studios behind Seven: The Days Long Gone, which is an open-world stealth RPG. Various veteran staff members who worked on the original Witcher are also helping out. CDPR themselves are providing full creative supervision.
As for other details about the game itself, we sadly do not have much. CDPR mentioned on its website that “it's still early”, and that they “want to ensure that the game is created with the utmost care and attention to detail”. They continued, saying that while they are “excited to share the news”, we need to be patient, as “it will be a while until [they] start talking about this project in detail”.
Adam Badowski, Head of Studio at CDPR, had this to say about the remake:
The Witcher is where it all started for us, for CD PROJEKT RED. 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. Collaborating with Fool’s Theory on the project is just as exciting, as some of the people there have been previously involved in The Witcher games. They know the source material well, they know how much gamers have been looking forward to seeing the remake happen, and they know how to make incredible and ambitious games. And although it will take some time before we’re ready to share more about and from the game, I know it’ll be worth the wait.
Personally, I believe that a Witcher remake is a good move. The original Witcher game was rough, from its graphics to its gameplay mechanics. The most notable and notorious mechanic that the original game had was in its combat. Unlike the modern Witcher games, the original game discouraged spamming the attack button. Other than that, the graphics themselves are not as good, which makes the shift to Unreal Engine 5 exciting. It's easy to see why players talk more about the third game in the series. However, as Badowski mentioned, this game was a big moment for them. As such, this remake allows players to experience the first game without having to deal with outdated controls. Of course, as they also mentioned, we will have to wait until more details surface.
That's all we know so far about the Witcher Remake. If you want more news about the Witcher series, click here.