The Witcher 4: Unveiling Game-changing Differences from Cyberpunk 2077

Highlights

The Witcher 4, unlike Cyberpunk 2077, will prioritize console performance and won't be treated as an afterthought by CD Projekt Red.

CDPR is taking a platform-inclusive approach for The Witcher 4, conducting demos and internal performance reviews on consoles in response to the troubled launch of Cyberpunk 2077. The aim is to ensure that The Witcher 4 delivers satisfactory console performance upon release, thus avoiding similar issues.

Senior CD Projekt Red officials have disclosed that The Witcher 4 will prioritize consoles and avoid the issues faced by Cyberpunk 2077. This revelation was part of a broader reflection on how the troubled launch of Cyberpunk 2077 is shaping CDPR's future projects.

Limited information has been divulged about the fourth mainline installment in The Witcher series since CDPR's confirmation in 2022 that the game is indeed in development. According to the few details shared by the studio in the following year, The Witcher 4, under the code name Polaris, will not feature a numerical title and is slated to launch ahead of the upcoming remake of the original The Witcher game from 2007.

And while The Witcher 4's development is still unknown, Colin Walder, CDPR's Management and Audio Engineering Director, has provided some insight into one key element of the project. At the ninth Inven Game Conference in Pangyo, South Korea, Walder disclosed that CDPR took a more platform-inclusive approach to developing project Polaris.

According to the official, the studio is currently conducting demos and internal performance reviews on consoles. It is acknowledged that CDPR only began console testing in the later stages of Cyberpunk 2077's development, which resulted in less than ideal outcomes. Therefore, The Witcher 4 is expected to have significantly better console performance upon its release, especially considering the possibility of being another cross-gen release for CDPR. It is worth noting that the technical issues experienced by Cyberpunk 2077 at launch were primarily caused by the game's PS4 and Xbox One versions, which struggled with maintaining a stable frame rate and other issues. This incident proved to be a costly mistake for CDPR, with the developer recently disclosing that fixing Cyberpunk 2077 incurred a cost of over $126 million.

While the game managed to break even with pre-orders alone, selling 8 million units prior to release and reaching 25 million sales by October 2023, CDPR acknowledges that its troubled launch was a mistake. The studio is aware that repairing its relationship with fans after the release of Cyberpunk 2077 will be a lengthy process. As part of this ongoing endeavor, Walder hinted at the importance of avoiding similar mistakes in the future during a recent interview in South Korea. It is worth noting that the development of The Witcher 4 is currently underway.

Source: Inven Global