CDPR Working With Epic To Improve Unreal Engine 5 For The Witcher 4

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Abdullah Waseem

At T4G, my task is to cover the latest news around the gaming globe ASAP and with the utmost precision. I adore all the games and respect all the devs behind the amazing games that we get all year. So, whether it’s a PC or a Console game, I got it all covered. 

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Unreal Engine 5 promised a huge overhaul in many departments when announced. Multiple games have now used the engine, reaching a level of realism never seen before, particularly in cases like Hellblade 2.

However, the technology has certain issues, just like it did in its previous iteration. Therefore, CDPR, also using the same technology for The Witcher 4, is collaborating with Epic Games to bring various improvements to Unreal Engine 5.

Why it matters: Unreal Engine 5 still presents challenges regarding optimization, traversal stutter, and more. Therefore, CDPR needs to ensure its biggest upcoming games aren’t plagued by these problems.

In an interview with Flow Games, associate game director at CDPR, Pawel Sasko, shared some information on his experience working with Unreal Engine 5. He praised the ‘amazing’ engine but didn’t go into much detail to avoid spoiling future projects. 

He further said that each technology comes with its limitations, and the same is the case with Unreal Engine 5. Certain things with the engine could be improved, but he stated that the same could be said for the studio’s in-house engine, Red Engine 4.

Sasko explained that engine improvements can be a matter of perspective. Therefore, working with Epic Games was a great idea. Both teams are now working to bring structural improvements to the technology, leading to an improved development cycle.

While moving away from the proprietary engine to the new technology is a big shift for CDPR, the studio is confident about the move. The team has previously argued it won’t lead to development restarting from scratch, with many things carrying over from the previous engine.

According to Pawel Sasko, working with Epic Games will help bring necessary changes and improvements to Unreal Engine 5.

This is important since every future CDPR project will leverage this engine, including The Witcher 4, Cyberpunk 2077’s sequel, The Witcher Remake, and The Molasses Flood’s multiplayer spin-off.

Abdullah Waseem

News Reporter

Abdullah is an avid gamer who primarily plays single-player titles. If you can’t find him anywhere, he’ll probably be at his desk playing The Witcher 3 for the millionth time. When he isn’t playing games, he’s either reading or writing about them.