The Witcher 4 is already in development, roughly seven years after the release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. That much is already fact - no disputing it. But aside from that, there also seems a bit of evidence that the next game in the franchise is going to be far, far different.
witcher 3 steam
By "different," we mean that there could be plans to introduce an online multiplayer component to it. According to GameRant, there's a host of so-called "evidence" that CD Projekt Red might make the jump from a strictly single-player experience to a multiplayer one. And one of the evidence they put forth seems solid enough.
Last year, CDPR CEO Adam Kiciński made it clear that while the company wants to keep its focus on making single-player titles, multiplayer was also going to be "introduced gradually." This applies to their two biggest IPs at the moment: The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077.
But despite that proclamation, they never really made it clear which franchise would get multiplayer elements first. As per VideoGamesChronicle, Kiciński and CD Projekt Red's focus is to implement a first attempt that they can learn something from - then keep on adding to it "step by step."
With CDPR's refusal to reveal which franchise will get multiplayer first, this then brings us to GameRant's second bit of evidence: Cyberpunk 2077 would've served as some sort of "test bed" for potential multiplayer features in a future Witcher game.
Around a year after Cyberpunk was first released, CDPR cancelled the planned multiplayer component for the reason that they want to bring online components into all of their franchises one day, as reported by Tech Radar. Some players argued that it might have been one of 2077's saving graces from its poor launch, but alas, it wasn't meant to be.
Since the multiplayer component of Cyberpunk was more or less confirmed, there is indication that the systems CDPR already built could be implemented int Witcher 4. However, only time will tell - so take this speculation with a grain of salt.
Read Also: Fans Of The Witcher Series Are Clamoring For A Remake Of The First Two Games
What Else Is Known About The Witcher 4?
In truth, not much. In an industry where leaks are more or less the norm, CDPR is staying as tight-lipped as possible when it comes to details surrounding the next Witcher game. They did, however, share a few confirmed details which are pretty significant.
witcher 4 teaser
First off, the game is currently being made using Epic Games' Unreal Engine 5. The studio/publisher decided not to keep using their in-house REDEngine because UE5's open-world capabilities are pretty good, according to game director Jason Slama (via PCGamer). Here's what he has to say:
"Players can go in whatever direction they want, they can handle content in any order that they want, theoretically. To really encapsulate that, you need a really stable environment where you can be able to make changes with a high level of confidence that it's not going to break in 1,600 other places down the line."
To cap things off, CDPR has confirmed that The Witcher 4 is now in pre-production, meaning it is now deep in the conceptualization phase.
Related Article: 'The Witcher 4' Director Was Also The Director Of The 'Gwent' Standalone Game
Story posted on GameNGuide
Written by RJ Pierce
