The Witcher 3's next-gen version for the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S may have been delayed, but developer CD Projekt Red clarified one crucial detail.
witcher 3 steam
As per a report on PlayStationLifestyle.net, the Polish developer and publisher have quelled rumors that the Witcher 3 next-gen release is not delayed indefinitely. This is despite numerous outlets claiming that the delay could last longer than most people want. As such, while the native PS5 and Series X/S versions of the game still don't have a release date, it's not in "development hell."
This was the statement of CDPR senior VP of business development Michał Nowakowski, which was made during a recently concluded investors' call. According to him, the release date wasn't revealed because the development team is still figuring out a production timeline for it.
Here is Nowakowski's explanation for why the delay is not indefinite, as transcribed by PCGamer:
"I've been looking at the headlines that popped up here and there over the internet, and I've seen one that really drew my attention, which is 'Witcher 3 next-gen delayed indefinitely,' which sounds like the game is in some sort of development hell. I want to state this is not the fact. There's been a lot of insinuations that we're going to launch like June next year or something like that. That's completely not the case."
Nowakowski furthered by saying:
"We're evaluating our time, that requires a bit of investigation-that's all we're saying. Nobody's saying the game is delayed with some monumental time gap ahead of us."
Aside from these statements, CD Projekt Red CEO Adam Kicinski also confirmed that there's still "a tremendous amount of work" left on the upgrade and that there are not a lot of people actually working on it right now. He estimates that only about 15 people are working on the Witcher 3 next-gen versions for the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, give or take some "external support staff."
Read also: 'The Witcher' New Game Teaser: The Medallion is NOT a Cat - Then What is It?
Why The Delay Again?
The official announcement from The Witcher on Twitter was met with understandable disappointment, considering how the next-gen update was announced way back in 2020.
We have decided to have our in-house development team conduct the remaining work on the next-gen version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. We are currently evaluating the scope of work to be done and thus have to postpone Q2 release until further notice. 1/2
— The Witcher (@witchergame) April 13, 2022
Originally, Witcher 3 next-gen was the job of a different studio: Saber Interactive. Saber has worked with CD Projekt in the past, namely on the Nintendo Switch port of The Witcher 3 which was a technical feat in its own right. But the delay on the native PS5 and Series X/S versions of Geralt's adventure was due to the job being taken from them and moved in-house, according to VideoGamesChronicle.
The main reason for this was that Saber's Russian studio was the one working on the game. And considering CDPR's strong anti-Russian stance in the wake of the Ukraine conflict, this could be considered an understandable move from the Polish developer, as per another report from PlayStationLifeStyle.net.
cd projekt red
Combine that with the fact that CD Projekt Red is also working on Witcher 4 and the story expansions for Cyberpunk 2077, and you can clearly see that the studio has its hands full.
Related: 'The Witcher 4' Director Was Also The Director Of The 'Gwent' Standalone Game
Story posted on GameNGuide
Written by RJ Pierce
