The Witcher 4feels like a change in direction for the series. The project has moved to Unreal Engine 5, and it’s been one of Unreal’s flagship games since there was gameplay to reveal, but this hasn’t been done with the idea of toppingThe Witcher 3.It would be a difficult game to top, given all its accolades and how important the game was to CD Projekt Red’s modern success.
A change in engine also heralds a change in protagonist forThe Witcher 4. Ciri has taken the lead role from Geralt, becoming the Witcher that players take control of. This has been a somewhat controversial decision on CD Projekt Red’s part, buta change in direction is exactly what the series needed to keep going, especially with how wellThe Witcher 3concluded.
The Witcher 4 Isn’t Trying To Top The Witcher 3
CD Projekt Red’s Standard-Bearer Is Being Respected
In an interview withGamesRadar,The Witcher 4’s narrative director, Philip Weber, discusses the team’s perspective on making the game as a follow-up toThe Witcher 3. He mentions that he has seen online discussions about the impossibility ofThe Witcher 4managing to topThe Witcher 3, withpeople callingWild Hunt"one of the best games ever made." He agrees with this sentiment, although trying to go bigger and better isn’t the approach CD Projekt Red is taking.
In the same interview, Weber states that his favorite game inThe Witcherseries isThe Witcher 1.
Weber talks about gaming being"subjective"and that he doesn’t see"video games as mathematical.“The team obviously wants to"do justice to the legacy of The Witcher 3,“but CDPR also wants to avoid redoing what has already been done before.Making Ciri the protagonistand using a new engine makes this intent clear.
That’s not to say that Weber and CD Projekt Red are ignoring what madeThe Witcher 3such a major success. Weber states that he wants to"take the philosophy we had during The Witcher 3"intoThe Witcher 4, since it was clearly something that worked well.This is part of the idea of"doing justice to what was there, not trying to beat it”, and this is the kind of mindset that will helpThe Witcher 4stand on its own two feet.
CD Projekt Red Is Making The Witcher 4 With The Right Mentality
Bigger & Better Can Be A Mistake
When it comes time to make a sequel, there is the view of just going bigger and better, rehashing the same old thing to get the same reaction as before, but things rarely pan out this way. While the new direction has raised some eyebrows, from having Ciri as the protagonist to using Unreal Engine 5,it is better to have a"healthy mix of really moving forward and also trying out some new things”,as Weber put it. This is the kind of mentality that givesThe Witcher 4a chance tolive up to the unbelievable hype.
The Witcher 3used the REDengine 3, although CD Projekt Red has decided to leave its proprietary engines behind after its work onCyberpunk 2077.
The Witcher 4could easily rehashThe Witcher 3and simply go bigger, but withWild Huntbeing such a special title, chances are this approach would just disappoint. Even ifThe Witcher 4isn’t as good as its predecessor, it can still excel on its own merits, delivering something unique to the genre. It’s good to see CD Projekt Red acknowledge this, even if the task of living up to the hype proves insurmountable.
