Witcher Remake

[Smoove_B]

I did not see this coming:

We are thrilled to announce that The Witcher Remake is being worked on! That's right, the game that started it all is being rebuilt from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5.

The game is currently in the early stages of development at the Polish studio Fool’s Theory, where veteran Witcher series staff are involved. We, as CD PROJEKT RED, are providing full creative supervision.

The Witcher Remake is what you might know by the codename “Canis Majoris”. It’s still early and we want to ensure that the game is created with the utmost care and attention to detail, therefore, while we’re excited to share the news with you, we want to ask you for patience as it will be a while until we start talking about this project in detail.

“The Witcher is where it all started for us, for CD PROJEKT RED. It was the first game we made, ever, and it was a big moment for us then. Going back to this place and remaking the game for the next generation of gamers to experience it feels just as big, if not bigger,” said Adam Badowski, Head of Studio, CD PROJEKT RED. “Collaborating with Fool’s Theory on the project is just as exciting, as some of the people there have been previously involved in The Witcher games. They know the source material well, they know how much gamers have been looking forward to seeing the remake happen, and they know how to make incredible and ambitious games. And although it will take some time before we’re ready to share more about and from the game, I know it’ll be worth the wait.”

I'm hoping they share something - screenshots, an official website, etc... soon, but just reading this made my morning.

[Skinypupy]

It's still amazing to me that the original Witcher game was made in the Aurora Engine (Neverwinter Nights).

[Smoove_B]

Yes. Even at the time (playing it) it seemed unbelievable. I never would have guessed it if someone didn't say it; it's unrecognizable. Textures and camera angles change so much, apparently.

[stimpy]

On the off chance that anyone here doesnt own the original, GOG is giving away the enhanced edition.
Since I already own it, I can give a copy as a gift.
PM me your email if you want it.

[Rumpy]

Makes sense, honestly. The series is really popular right now, and the first game was not available on a lot of platforms leaving the two others the ones that most have played. To remake it lets more people experience the first game.

[Daehawk]

meh...as long as they leave the original alone and dont get rid of it. Ive been considering a new play through of the original but the graphics have been putting me off. A remake is fine.

[Blackhawk]

Makes sense, honestly. The series is really popular right now, and the first game was not available on a lot of platforms leaving the two others the ones that most have played. To remake it lets more people experience the first game.

It also buys them time to design the next one by keeping the series fresh with a 'new' release.

[Rumpy]

meh...as long as they leave the original alone and dont get rid of it. Ive been considering a new play through of the original but the graphics have been putting me off. A remake is fine.

I don't think they'll get rid of it. This will let a whole new generation of platforms to play a more modern version of game. But really, the game has aged badly as it is. This is one of those games where a remake is really benefiticial. CDPR weren't in the same place as they are now

There are 3 things that could really use improving:

1. The combat system. I know some like it, but it felt very clunky, and it wasn't a very easy game to get into because of it. It was only midway through the game that it became easier due to getting different abilities. But it shouldn't be so relentless in the beginning.

2. The questing system. The questing was quite confusing as it was fairly non-linear. It was not at all obvious what you needed to do, or if a particular quest was part of another one. No quest markers made it more confusing. At least make it optional.

3. The proficiencies. What peeved me was how they handled the proficiencies. If someone chooses to focus on their combat and ignore the ability to create potions, don't punish them for it, but rather give them other options. Rather late in the game, I found out I couldn't beat the end boss without a special potion and my level wasn't high enough to create it anyway., which screwed me out of being able to finish it. A far better option would have been to make it available to buy.

It also buys them time to design the next one by keeping the series fresh with a 'new' release.

Yeah, that too. Assuming the remake will be out before the next fully new Witcher game.

[Daehawk]

Its going to be open world. Im not sure about it now. Im sure it will be fine but the first game was not open world. How they can take that and make it open world and be good Im not sure.

https://www.ign.com/articles/the-witche ... d-confirms

[Blackhawk]

Its going to be open world. Im not sure about it now. Im sure it will be fine but the first game was not open world. How they can take that and make it open world and be good Im not sure.

https://www.ign.com/articles/the-witche ... d-confirms

It seems possible. Most open-world games are a core set of mostly linear story quests with a bunch of side activities around the edges. They already have the linear quest. They just need to add options for when you're not following one of them. Instead of leaving point A and it loading you into point B, you leave point A and are told, "When you're ready, head to point B."

[Jolor]

While I don't play remakes of games I've finished, it has been quite a while since I've played the original. The reimagining makes it more intriguing to me, not less. As a fan of the franchise, I'm interested.

[Daehawk]

I was about to replay the original when news of this came out. Guess Ill wait and see.

[El Guapo]

I'm interested if they update the game mechanics as well as the graphics. It's kind of funny because I first played Witcher 3, then after I finished that went back and played Witcher 2. Now I may wind up playing this Witcher 1 remake. I guess I'm Benjamin Button'ing this series.

[hitbyambulance]

the plan is they're going to remake the second one as well

[Rumpy]

Its going to be open world. Im not sure about it now. Im sure it will be fine but the first game was not open world. How they can take that and make it open world and be good Im not sure.

https://www.ign.com/articles/the-witche ... d-confirms

It seems possible. Most open-world games are a core set of mostly linear story quests with a bunch of side activities around the edges. They already have the linear quest. They just need to add options for when you're not following one of them. Instead of leaving point A and it loading you into point B, you leave point A and are told, "When you're ready, head to point B."

It was open-world in the sense that you could freely roam the large areas that served as the sets for the chapters. It just wasn't open world in the sense that you could return to previous locations, and I think that was done due to a limitation with the engine, which was the same engine Bioware used for KOTOR and other games such as Jade Empire. To use KOTOR as an example, that game was fully open-world, but loaded the game in chunks to different areas, which I think was a popular tactic back in the day.

With that limitation gone, it makes perfect sense to make the first Witcher fully open-world. They'll likely add more side-quests and item collections in previous locations to make going back to them feel worthwhile.

The ironic thing though is that The Witcher 3 still has a chapter system where certain areas are inaccessable until later, it's just more subtle about it.

[Smoove_B]

With that limitation gone, it makes perfect sense to make the first Witcher fully open-world. They'll likely add more side-quests and item collections in previous locations to make going back to them feel worthwhile.

Exactly. So much of the first game was dictated by limitations of the Aurora engine - which they already had apparently stretched and modified beyond recognition. Re-releasing the original Witcher game but in the style of Witcher 3 is going to be fantastic.

[Daehawk]

Speaking of KOTOR I wish we had KOTOR 3 still.

[Rumpy]

In fact, with it being fully open-world, I could see them tying some of the earlier quests together with some of the later ones. One of the frustrating aspects of the original game was how you had a bunch of quests that seemed separate, but in fact had to be done in a certain order to move the story along, because they were in fact different steps in the same questline. You just never got that indication via the quest diary that they were in fact branched.

[Blackhawk]

I think that was done due to a limitation with the engine, which was the same engine Bioware used for KOTOR and other games such as Jade Empire.

Actually, it was the Aurora Engine, used in Neverwinter Nights, as opposed to KOTOR's Odyssey Engine, which was the follow-up to Aurora. In other words, Witcher 1's was even older than KOTOR's. And they did some amazing things with it. Given that it was the NWN 1 engine, I fully expected Tris's hair to look like it was made of Jell-O.

[Rumpy]

Ok, wow, that makes it even more impressive given what they were able to do with it. It brings to mind what Ion Storm did with the Quake engine for Anachronox.

I think what's going to be most improved out of this remake would be the character models. The character models in the original game were rather stiff and laughably proportioned.

[Scraper]

I think that was done due to a limitation with the engine, which was the same engine Bioware used for KOTOR and other games such as Jade Empire.

Actually, it was the Aurora Engine, used in Neverwinter Nights, as opposed to KOTOR's Odyssey Engine, which was the follow-up to Aurora. In other words, Witcher 1's was even older than KOTOR's. And they did some amazing things with it. Given that it was the NWN 1 engine, I fully expected Tris's hair to look like it was made of Jell-O.

Here you go

[Daehawk]

I wonder if they'll keep the original style of fighting? I hated it at first but after playing the first day it was easy and I actually missed it in W2.

[Rumpy]

Why would they? That was easily one of the worst aspects of it that turned off many people from playing it. It actually made the game much harder than it needed to be. The point of a remake is to improve on things and they will want to take every advantage they can get to get more people playing their game. If the combat is the same, nobody will play it and there will be tons of frustrated players.

[Blackhawk]

I think that was done due to a limitation with the engine, which was the same engine Bioware used for KOTOR and other games such as Jade Empire.

Actually, it was the Aurora Engine, used in Neverwinter Nights, as opposed to KOTOR's Odyssey Engine, which was the follow-up to Aurora. In other words, Witcher 1's was even older than KOTOR's. And they did some amazing things with it. Given that it was the NWN 1 engine, I fully expected Tris's hair to look like it was made of Jell-O.

Here you go

It still wasn't Jell-O hair. In NWN the hair was set to move as the character did. In practice, it looked like everyone had Jell-O on their heads. Watch it wiggle, watch it jiggle.

[Jaymann]

I will give it a look, but I am sure I'm in the minority, having dropped out of the first two games.

[Suitably Ironic Moniker]

According to CDPR, the remake won’t release until after Witcher 4, which just started preproduction this past summer, so settle in, it’s going to be awhile.

[Rumpy]

Interesting, as I would have thought the remake would come out before Witcher 4 as a way to prop up the franchise and get new players to experience the first game before the new one came out.

[Smoove_B]

More on the timing:

Adam Kicinski, president and joint CEO of CDPR, explained that the remake of The Witcher will be based on technology used in The Witcher 4, hence why it won’t be coming until after the next all-new chapter in the popular fantasy-RPG series.

There's not even been an unofficial guess as to when "Witcher 4" will be coming out, so this remake is likely years and years away.

[Daehawk]

People are speculating......

The Witcher 4 release date speculation

At the time of writing, there is no confirmed release date for a new Witcher game. Given how long it took Cyberpunk 2077 to release, we could be waiting a while. Our best guess is that we’ll have to wait until 2025 at the earliest.

[Carpet_pissr]

Speaking of KOTOR I wish we had KOTOR 3 still.

Now THAT is a game that demands a remake.

Some of us have a backlog of unplayed titles that are considered "MUST PLAY" by most PC gamers.

I bet some of those people have tried to rectify said mistake, and tried to go back years later to play the title, only to find they won't run on modern systems, or are so damn janky and klunky (compared to modern) that they might as well be technically unplayable.

Personally, I denounce those heathens, but I feel cetain they exist. Probably some on this very forum!!

[Rumpy]

I played the two games several years ago via Steam and was able to use a high-res texture mode and it looked great at high-res. Still held up fairly well, but I think there was a Playstation remake being worked on?

[Max Peck]

Yeah, there is a KOTOR remake in the works, but it seems to have descended into development hell.

In September 2021, Knights of the Old Republic — Remake, a graphically-updated remake of the original game, was announced as in development by Aspyr in collaboration with Sony Interactive Entertainment, for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 5. It will be a timed console exclusive for PlayStation 5 before releasing on other platforms. On the remake's development, lead producer Ryan Treadwell wrote: "We’re rebuilding it from the ground up with the latest tech to match the groundbreaking standard of innovation established by the original, all while staying true to its revered story". Several individuals who worked on the original game are returning for the remake, such as former BioWare developers and Jennifer Hale (reprising her role of Bastila). However, certain original cast members have since been deceased or will not be returning, such as Tom Kane who has retired due to medical reasons.

Kotaku reported that "news of the project began leaking out earlier this year on social media and was later confirmed by former Kotaku news editor Jason Schreier [...]. There has been speculation that the remake will actually include parts of both KOTOR 1 and 2, and also establish some of the lore from those games in the official Star Wars canon, something Disney seems keen on as it spins Star Wars off into new books, TV shows, movies, and games". Little information was otherwise revealed about the project.

In July 2022, Bloomberg reported that the remake has been "delayed indefinitely" after Aspyr "abruptly fired the game's art director and design director". Bloomberg stated that this occurred after the vertical slice demo was shown to production partners Sony and Lucasfilm – Aspyr's studio heads put the project on hold as the demo gameplay "wasn't where they wanted it to be [...], according to two people who were in the meeting". The remake may not be released until 2025, per Bloomberg's sources, instead of its intended 2022 release. In August 2022, it was announced that Aspyr has been fired from the project and is replaced by Saber Interactive, which along with Asypr is owned by Embracer Group.

[Carpet_pissr]

Yeah, there is a KOTOR remake in the works, but it seems to have descended into development hell.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooo

[Carpet_pissr]

Welp, got a wild hair and thought I would try one more time to play The Witcher: Enhanced Edition. I probably could power through it (especially since everyone says the combat gets better as your character gets better), but gah, so very very janky.

It also keeps crashing, which is probably a blessing, as it made me go into the Steam discussion page and see what was what, only to find out they are doing a remake. Guess I'll wait! I wonder which will release first, the remake of KOTOR, or this?

[Rumpy]

Yeah, what I really dislike about the first game is how through no fault of your own can get absolutely overwhelmed by swarms of enemies. It doesn't help that they can kill you in one or two hits in early in the game if you get yourself boxed in by multiples. And you don't have any real defense against this until you start learning some skills to counter them. As such the enemies feel very OP early on, and I feel the game suffers from balance issues.

[Daehawk]

The worst areas I had problems with in the first game was that damn ghost hound beast and the witch and the other was my system was old and the fires from campfires and torches literally made my system crawl on screen.

I hope they keep the nudey sex cards to collect *snicker*

[Rumpy]

I actually didn't have a problem with the ghost hounds. I had more of a problem with the Salamandra thugs. If they saw you they would immediately gun for you, surround you and you'd better hope you weren't stuck in a corner.