"The Witcher 4" was finally confirmed to be in development seven years after "The Witcher 3" was released. And the one helming its development was a former director for another "Witcher" game, albeit a spinoff.
witcher 4 teaser
Jason Slama, who served as the standalone "Gwent" game director, is now helming the next chapter of the acclaimed AAA franchise. But aside from confirming his new role, Slama also mentioned how the game he's leading now will not be featuring mandatory crunch, reports GamesRadar.
"Never on my watch!" Slama says in response to speculations of whether "Witcher 4" will require mandatory crunch. This is quite a bold statement from him, considering how there were multiple rumors that CD Projekt Red employees underwent a mandatory crunch during the development of "Cyberpunk 2077" (via Polygon).
For now, though, the former "Gwent" director has also mentioned that the team is currently hiring for "The Witcher 4." In his tweet where he also announced his appointment as game director, he mentioned that there are "tons of roles open with the possibility of remote work":
I am super thrilled to announce that I have humbly been working to ensure the success of the next big AAA The Witcher game as its Game Director! Think you could join the team? We have tons of roles open with the possibility of remote work we could discuss! https://t.co/bBbxs0JMmq
— Jason Slama (@SlamaTwoFlags) March 21, 2022
CDPR's next "Witcher" game has also been confirmed not to be using its in-house RedEngine, but rather Epic Games' Unreal Engine 5. However, some folks were wondering whether this partnership with Epic could limit the game to the Epic Games store. To this, the developer responded as follows:
We are not planning on making the game exclusive to one storefront.
— The Witcher (@witchergame) March 21, 2022
The switch from RedEngine to Unreal Engine 5 was met with a bit of excitement from within CDPR. According to Chief Technical Officer Pawel Zawodny, going for UE5 "will elevate development predictability and efficiency," while giving their devs access to the latest game development tools. Zawodny also seemingly made it clear that CD Projekt plans to make more games using UE5 in the future, writes PC Gamer.
Read also: New 'The Witcher' Game Announced by CD Projekt - Here's What You Have to Know
What 'Witcher 4' Might Be About
CD Projekt announced the game with a single teaser image: that of a Witcher's medallion with glowing red eyes, but it's not the iconic Wolf School medallion.
It looks to be like a Cat School medallion from the School of the Cat, which is basically an outcast Witcher school whose members were infamous for being hired assassins. As such, this is likely a confirmation that seasoned protagonist Geralt of Rivia will not be making an appearance, but rather it will feature a new hero or heroine.
That heroine in question could be Geralt's adopted daughter Ciri, who also has a bit of a connection to the Cat School, writes GamesRadar. Ciri carries around with her such a medallion that she seized from the bounty hunter Leo Bonhart -- a swordsman said to be so good in single combat he could defeat three witchers and take their medallions. Bonhart was a primary antagonist in the original "Witcher" books for those unaware.
Are you excited for "Witcher 4"? What are you expecting from the game when it comes out? Let us know!
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Story posted on GameNGuide
Written by RJ Pierce
