CD Projekt Red is finishing the project in-house
Fans eager to dive back into the world of The Witcher 3 on PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X are in for a longer-than-expected wait — the enhanced version has been delayed again. It was scheduled for a Q2 2022 release, and the publisher isn’t publicly committing to a new launch window yet as the work needed to get to the finish line is still being scoped out.
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
“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,” tweeted CD Projekt Red.
“We are currently evaluating the scope of work to be done and thus have to postpone Q2 release until further notice,” the studio continued. “We’ll update you as soon as we can. Thank you for your understanding.”
We’re far enough along now that it feels strange to even call this the “next-gen version,” but the wait should (hopefully) be worth it — we know this game rules. If you’re curious, the PS5 and XSX versions of The Witcher 3 were originally announced in September 2020.
The shift to an in-house setup is fuel for speculation, as up until now, the ball had been in Saber Interactive’s court. The studio previously worked on the almost unbelievable Nintendo Switch port of The Witcher 3, whose existence still surprises me to this day.
Clearly, CD Projekt Red has had its hands full with Cyberpunk 2077. With that game’s PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions out in the wild, it’s just a matter of time for Geralt and co.
When the day finally comes, these refreshed versions of The Witcher 3 will be a “free update for everyone who owns the game on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.” There will also be a standalone Complete Edition for folks who are coming in totally fresh. The original promise is “a range of visual and technical improvements — including ray tracing and faster loading times — across the base game, both expansions, and all extra content,” so there will be a lot of adventures to soak up. Is it… is it time for a full replay?
Maybe it’s best to wait until the next Witcher game feels remotely close.
