Fans of The Witcher video game series have cause to celebrate today.
No, CD Projekt RED hasn’t confirmed a fourth installment in the series (not yet, at least), but it has announced the next best thing. The developer’s acclaimed third entry – quite rightly often considered to be a seminal title – in Geralt of Rivia’s story is headed to next-gen consoles in the not-too-distant future and, better yet, it’ll be available at no extra charge for anyone who already owns the sprawling RPG. Regardless of whether you have a PS4 or Xbox One copy, you’ll be able to freely upgrade to either respective console’s successor when the re-release finally rolls around, and there’s a raft of improvements being made under the hood, too.
The big changes CD Projekt wants you to know about are the additions of ray tracing technology as well as drastically reduced loading times. There’s no word yet on whether these versions will also be aiming for a solid 60 fps, but considering the superior hardware housed within the PS5 and Series X, we’re hoping that’s the case.
While console gamers are the audiences that are predominantly going to benefit from this particular upgrade, it’s worth noting that PC owners will be privy to the same deal and, if you’ve somehow yet to explore weird and wonderful Continent as the White Wolf, a standalone version of The Witcher 3‘s next-gen release will also be available to purchase. As for a firm release date, nothing beyond a general 2021 window has so far been confirmed, though you can no doubt expect to hear more once CD Projekt RED has some free time to spare, following the release of its latest title, Cyberpunk 2077.
As for Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s works, filming for the hit show’s second season recently resumed, following a timeout necessitated by COVID-19. See here for all the latest details.