The developer presented a technical demo featuring protagonist Ciri in the port city of Valdrest, where she battles a deadly manticore. The footage highlighted several advanced technologies powering the highly anticipated RPG:
– Unreal Animation Framework: Enables realistic character movement in densely populated areas
– FastGeo Streaming: Allows seamless open-world loading without visible transitions
– Nanite Foliage: Delivers intricately detailed forest environments
The demo maintained 60 frames per second on a standard PlayStation 5, demonstrating strong optimization. CD Projekt Red also revealed key narrative details:
– Ciri’s primary companion will be her horse Kelpie
– The major city Lan Exeter will serve as a central location
No release window was announced, but the showcase confirms active development progress for the next mainline Witcher entry. The game marks CD Projekt Red’s first project using Unreal Engine 5 instead of their proprietary REDengine.
Industry analysts note the technical demo sets a new visual benchmark for open-world RPGs, with particular praise for the crowd animation systems. The Witcher 4 represents the studio’s first new single-player title since 2020’s Cyberpunk 2077.
