Postponement “Until further notice”, “No development hell” [Update]

From the original article 04/14/2022: It was almost foreseen that the next-gen version of The Witcher 3 would have to be postponed again. The remaster was actually supposed to be released in the second quarter, but since there was no new information for months, the release was unsustainable. Which has now been confirmed.

Release is delayed – again

once again official twitter account Announced about The Witcher, they have decided to continue with “the remaining work on the next-gen version of The Witcher 3”. (buy now €28.99 ,: to execute Wild Hunt by our internal development team”. As a reminder, the next-gen version of The Witcher 3 is not yet developed internally, but was developed by renowned porting specialist Sabre Interactive The Witcher 3 version of The Witcher has no comment as to why CDPR withdraws this command from Saber Interactive.

However, it was already on 31.03.2020. A Russian source said that Saber Interactive is headquartered in Russia and therefore the CDPR has stopped working together. This connection has already been made PCGH Extreme discussed in a user news, PCGH previously reported that CD Projekt Red had taken a clear stand against Russia in connection with the Russian attack on Ukraine. So it will fit together, but it is not confirmed.

CDPR further states that they are currently “evaluating the scope of work” and therefore will have to postpone the Q2 release until further notice. Players will be “updated as soon as possible”. The next-gen version of The Witcher 3 was first announced on September 4, 2020, and was originally scheduled for release in 2021. Due to internal studio development changes, a release this year is likely to be at risk.

In addition to additional content like Netflix series DLC, there are technical changes for the PC version as well. The remaster is said to include a wide range of technical and visual improvements, including ray tracing, faster loading times, and HDR. Not only the base game, but the two expansions and any additional content should be promoted as well. Recently, the CDPR confirmed that they “exactly want to implement these projects”, which is why a moratorium is unpleasant, but not an option.

The Witcher 3 Next-Gen “No Development Hell”

Update from April 15th, 2022: The latest business figures show that The Witcher 3 is still extremely important to CD Projekt. Over 40 million units sold across all platforms shows the importance of the next-gen update, which has been postponed indefinitely. At the investor meeting, CDPR provides some details about the project, which is managed by 15 in-house employees and people with outside support. Michael Nowakowski, senior vice president of business development at CD Projekt, clarified that The Witcher 3 next-gen is not in the “development hell”. Even predictions like June 2023 release are not correct. The required follow-up work is currently being evaluated, but this does not mean that “a significant amount of time” is needed.