The Witcher 4 Unreal Engine 5 Tech Demo Shows Stunning Open World, but CD Projekt Red Warns Its Not Gameplay

Epic Games and CD Projekt Red confirmed off an early improvement Unreal Engine 5 tech demo for The Witcher 4, that includes beautiful environments, an in depth open world, in-game areas and new Unreal Engine technical options. The practically 10-minute-long technological showcase, proven on the State of Unreal presentation on Tuesday, was operating at a base PS5 at 60fps with ray-tracing turned on, in accordance with CD Projekt.

The Witcher 4 Tech Demo

In addition to offering an early have a look at the world of The Witcher 4, the tech demo revealed the northern area of Kovir, a brand new setting that can make its first look within the sequence. CDPR, nonetheless, has clarified that the demo wasn’t precise gameplay of The Witcher 4 itself, but a “deep dive into the technological foundation of the new Witcher saga”, which implies the ultimate recreation could not find yourself trying just like the construct proven on the presentation.

Nevertheless, what was proven was spectacular — crisp character fashions for the sport’s protagonist Ciri and her horse Kelpie, dense foliage, detailed cities teeming with NPCs and a number of Unreal Engine 5 know-how and options that energy all of it.

“Since the strategic partnership was announced in 2022, CDPR has been working with Epic Games to develop new tools and enhance existing features in Unreal Engine 5 to expand the engine’s open-world development capabilities and establish robust tools geared toward CD PROJEKT RED’s open-world design philosophies,” the Polish studio mentioned in an replace on its web site.

The technical showcase begins with Ciri navigating her approach on foot down a mountain within the area of Kovir, on the path of a monster, earlier than getting on her horse, Kelpie, and using to the close by port city of Valdrest.

The demo then dives into the wild world of The Witcher 4, showcasing rugged snow-capped mountains and dense forests, that utilise Unreal’s new Nanite Foliage rendering know-how. The focus then shifts again to Valdrest, a bustling city, the place we see Ciri work together with NPCs, that are proven to be responsive and going about their day by day routines. At one level, the demo exhibits over 300 animated NPCs in a single scene.

CD Projekt Red mentioned The Witcher 4 could be the “most immersive and ambitious open-world Witcher game ever”. The showcase ended with a glimpse at Lan Exeter, the winter capital and a significant port metropolis in Kovir.

The port city of Valdrest seen in The Witcher 4 tech demo
Photo Credit: CD Projekt Red

According to CD Projekt and Epic, the instruments and know-how showcased within the demo will ultimately be launched to all UE builders, beginning with the discharge of Unreal Engine 5.6 on Tuesday.

“We started our partnership with Epic Games to push open-world game technology forward. To show this early look at the work we’ve been doing using Unreal Engine running at 60 FPS on PlayStation 5, is a significant milestone — and a testament of the great cooperation between our teams,” CD Projekt Red joint-CEO Michał Nowakowski mentioned in an announcement. (*4*)

The Witcher 4 was revealed at The Game Awards 2024 with a cinematic trailer introducing Ciri because the protagonist of a brand new Witcher saga. CD Projekt has not but proven any gameplay from the upcoming RPG, because the tech demo doesn’t symbolize the ultimate recreation. While there is no confirmed launch timeline for The Witcher 4, the developer mentioned at its FY 2024 earnings convention in March that the sport wouldn’t be launched earlier than 2027.