What you need to know
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of the most critically-acclaimed titles released during the last generation of video games.
- On Wednesday, CD Projekt RED announced the current-gen upgrade for The Witcher 3 has been delayed until beyond Q2 2022.
- Noted support studio Saber Interactive had been aiding the development, but now work is being finished in-house at CDPR.
- There is no new release window or date for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on Xbox Series X|S and PS5.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a beloved third-person RPG that dominated the last generation of gaming. Creators CD Projekt RED has been planning a current-gen upgrade for the title on Xbox Series X|S and PS5 for a long while, now, but another delay means players will have to wait a little longer. CDPR has announced that a development restructure means the planned upgrade is now postponed indefinitely beyond the previously-announced Q2 2022 release window.
We have decided to have our in-house development team conduct the remaining work on the next-gen version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. We are currently evaluating the scope of work to be done and thus have to postpone Q2 release until further notice. 1/2We have decided to have our in-house development team conduct the remaining work on the next-gen version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. We are currently evaluating the scope of work to be done and thus have to postpone Q2 release until further notice. 1/2— The Witcher (@witchergame) April 13, 2022April 13, 2022
Work on a current-gen upgrade for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has been supported so far by Saber Interactive, an accomplished support studio that aids development across a range of studios, especially as part of the Embracer Group. On Wednesday, CDPR announced that development is being finished by its in-house development team, indicating that Saber Interactive is no longer involved. A reason for this shift in development structuring was not cited.
Saber Interactive has multiple teams stationed around the world, including in areas affected by or involved in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The sizeable company is well-known for supporting numerous studios and game projects, such as 4A Games, headquartered in Kyiv, Ukraine and responsible for titles like Metro Exodus. It hasn't been confirmed if the terrible conflict in Ukraine is related to this decision, but it should be noted that CD Projekt is among multiple game studios that has responded to the situation in Ukraine.
The current-gen upgrade for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is expected to be similar in scale to the upgrade for Cyberpunk 2077 on Xbox Series X|S released earlier this year, but details haven't been revealed yet. The current-gen upgrade had already been delayed out of 2021, and this latest delay doesn't come with an updated release window. CD Projekt RED has promised to share more information in the near future.
When it arrives, the upgrade will target The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PS5 with improved visuals and performance. In the meantime, The Witcher 3 is still one of the best Xbox games you can play, even without the slated upgrades in place, and is currently on sale.
Still to be upgraded
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will eventually be upgraded to look and play better on current-gen consoles, but it's still an incredible game to play right now.
