CD Projekt Red is ramping up development onThe Witcher 4(AKA Polaris) now thatCyberpunk 2077: Phantom Libertyis out. The hotly sought-after sequel is still a few years away from launching, but director Sebastian Kalemba has shed some light on what we can expect.
“We have to try to appease a new public,” Kalemba said in an interview withLega Nerd(as reported byWccftech). “The Witcher 4won’t be out for some years, and it’ll [have been] a long time since the previous one, so we cannot just target the audience already fond of the saga. We must also build a new community.”
I believe I can say it’ll be an excellent entry point for many players, without forgetting the long-time fans who still wish to follow Geralt’s adventures.
The Witcher 3is eight years old, so the wait between it and Polaris will be at least a decade. We still don’t know much about the sequel or how it will build on the several possible endings, but such a big gap after the conclusion of a trilogy befits a fresh start.
Polaris is being called the “first game” in a saga, kicking off a new trilogy, so we know that the narrative will unfold over three games at least. It’s unlikely Geralt will be the focus, evident by the fact that the teaser image is an emblem from theSchool of the Lynx, not Wolf. Perhaps Ciri will take center stage or CDPR will bring in new characters. We’ll have to wait and see.
While technically itisThe Witcher 4, devs have stressed that it will not be dubbed as such because it cannot be considered the fourth part. That leaves things completely open. So, naturally, CDPR has big ambitions.
“Our priority is always trying to break boundaries,” Kalemba said. “We want to go beyond them. We want to try and do something new compared to what’s currently in roleplaying games, especially since we work within that genre and target RPG fans. I can’t say too much, as you can guess, but the idea is to build something that surpasses The Witcher 3, telling a more intense story and crafting a more intense gameplay as well.”
This new Witcher game will bethe first CDPR title in Unreal Engine 5, a shift as part of its collaboration with Epic Games.
The Witcher 4 is still a ways off, but we know what’s coming after it -a remake of the first game. Set right after the ending of the novels, we step into the muddy boots of an amnesiac Geralt who has to piece together his life as his home is torn apart.
With Witcher 4 aiming to bring in new fans, it’s only fitting to give them an opportunity to see where it all began.
