THE CRUNCH
CD Projekt Red has confirmed that The Witcher 4 will be built on Unreal Engine 5, abandoning the studio's in-house REDengine. Joint CEO Michał Nowakowski clarified that the decision was not a reaction to the messy launch of Cyberpunk 2077, but rather a strategic choice made after seeing Epic Games' The Matrix Awakens tech demo. The studio asked whether Unreal Engine 5 was ready to support the scale of games like TheW
Nowakowski emphasised that assuming REDengine was responsible for Cyberpunk's issues is a mistaken assumption. He stated that the pivotal moment came when CD Projekt Red saw an early version of the Matrix demo, prompting a strategic collaboration with Epic. This partnership aims to leverage Unreal Engine 5's capabilities for future projects, marking a significant shift in the studio's technical direction.