The Original Witcher Is Getting A Fancy New Unreal 5 Remake

Today, CD Projekt Red has announced that a remake of 2007’s original Witcher is in development. The project is being handled by Polish studio Fool’s Theory and is being built from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5 using the same tools CDPR is creating for its own future Witcher games.

15 years ago today, the original Witcher was released starring everyone’s favorite grumpy monster slayer, Geralt, as he tries to regain his memories with the help of his friends and fellow Witchers. The first game, like other games in the franchise, is based on a fantasy book series by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. Since its release, CD Projekt Red has gone on to make more Witcher games, as well as spin-offs like Gwent and the dystopian sci-fi action RPG Cyberpunk 2077. But the third-person fantasy RPG was the studio’s very first game, and now CDPR wants to update this classic for “the next generation of gamers.” CDPR describes the remake as a “modern reimagining” of the original game.

“The Witcher is where it all started for us,” said Adam Badowski, CDPR’s Head of Studio. “It was the first game we made, ever, and it was a big moment for us then. Going back to this place and updating the game for the next generation of gamers to experience it is just as big, if not bigger.”

According to Badowski, some of the people at Fool’s Theory, the studio behind the remake, also worked on past Witcher games, so he believes they know the source material very well. Don’t expect to be playing the remake any time soon, though, as the studio head said in a press release that it will “take some time” before they are even ready to show anything of the game, and that it’s still in the “early stages” of development.

This Unreal 5 Witcher remake was previously known as codename “Canis Majoris,” as revealed earlier in October via CDPR’s “Longterm Product Outlook” update. Alongside that project, we also learned of another Witcher game in development by The Molasses Flood. And we know that CDPR themselves are working on a brand new Witcher trilogy, also using Unreal 5 in conjunction with custom tools made by the studio itself. In fact, the tools and tech CDPR is building for those future games are being used by Fool’s Theory on this new Witcher remake project.

No other details were shared by CDPR or Fool’s Theory about the upcoming RPG remake, which makes sense. Not only because it’s still early in development, but also because CDPR is likely going to be more careful about announcing and marketing future games after the rough launch and backlash it faced with Cyberpunk 2077. While the game is mostly in a good place today, it took some time to get there and the whole situation has likely left an impact on the studio.