After the launch of a pretty Unreal Engine 5 tech demo for The Witcher 4, CD Projekt has begun to reign expectations in. The studio confirmed that the video footage which left fans impressed with its fidelity is a technical demo and not representative of actual gameplay.
This demo, running at 60fps and recorded on PS5, sees Ciri travelling through Kovir which has been officially confirmed to be part of the game. Despite its movie-like presentation, CD Projekt stated that the clip does not reflect real-time gameplay but rather represents the visual tone the team is going for.
Unreal Engine 5 Pushes the Limits
The recent tech demo exhibited incredible detail in animations and fidelity in the environment. The game is so realistic that the way Ciri’s hair flows and her movements seem so natural along with the interaction with the horse Kelpie looks very real. The two characters travel through rugged terrain, interact with NPCs and pass through the snowy rocky regions of Kovir on their way to the port city.
The demo included a market scene where CD Projekt would demonstrated the power of the engine by populating it with 300 animated NPCs, which would react to each other continuously. This moment especially noted the scale and ambition behind the new title ‘Doctor Who’.
Exploring New Regions of the Continent
The demo ended with a surprising appearance by Lan Exeter, Kovir’s winter capital port city. Even though specific game mechanics aren’t shown in the final shot, we get to see the world-building and scale players can expect. The addition of the province suggests that the story will take a different turn and also will venture into another territory.
CD Projekt’s Vision for the Future
Although players may think the tech demo shows us the final version, the devs said it’s actually more of a concept video. A representative from CD Projekt has indicated that the visuals seen here do represent the vision that the team is going for, but they are not representative of the final product.
It means that fans will have to wait longer to see what The Witcher 4 will play like. It’s obvious the developer of The Witcher, CD Projekt, is using Unreal Engine 5 to deliver a daring upgrade of the franchise.