The Witcher 4 development team is pushing forward with Project Polaris, despite past challenges. While this might raise concerns for PC gamers, the studio assures that PC remains a key platform for the game. Fans are eagerly awaiting more information about the game's development and potential release window.
CD Projekt RED's VP of Technology, Charles Tremblay, revealed in an interview with Digital Foundry's Alex Battaglia that the studio aims to optimize its game for current-gen consoles, with a specific target of achieving 60 fps on platforms like PlayStation 5.
Tremblay said, "We had so many problems in the past that we tried to see, okay, this time around we really want to be more console-first [in] development."
This strategy shift is a direct consequence of the turbulent launch of Cyberpunk 2077, plagued with all sorts of technical issues, especially on last-gen consoles. The fallout inevitably led to harsh criticism, public clamoring for refunds, and a monstrous undertaking from CD Projekt RED in patching and improving the game.
The studio is adopting a console-first approach for Witcher 4. This shift aims to prevent another disastrous game launch. The goal is to have the game 100% stable and polished on consoles from day one.
That news might prompt a little panic in PC gamers. CD Projekt RED has a history of pushing graphical boundaries on PC. Games like Witcher 3: Wild Hunt were optimized for high-end hardware. These PC versions were then scaled down for console releases.
Designing a game for powerful PC hardware and then scaling it down for consoles is often considered easier. Building for consoles first and then scaling up for PC is a more challenging approach. The transition to Unreal Engine 5 is also something that plays in its favor. It presents the problem of resolving the highest standard of visual fidelity at stable frame rates on consoles.
Tremblay said, "We worked with Unreal, and then we saw the challenge to realize the ambition to make what we want at 60 fps on PS5; there would be work." This approach implies that The Witcher 4's ambitious graphics require console optimization as a foundation. Achieving stability and performance on consoles is the primary goal.
The studio intends to ‘expand all the raytracing features’ and guarantee that ‘if people pay good money for the hardware, we want them to have what the game can provide for that.’ The console-first mantra might draw up a somewhat different development schedule in its wake.
Prioritizing console optimization might mean PC-specific features take a backseat initially. This could lead to a launch delay or a less optimized PC experience compared to a PC-first approach. The Witcher 4 remains very deep in development, and so any sort of release date is probably a couple of years away. The tech demo for Unreal Engine 5, running on a PS5, no less, looked pretty good.
All the same, the question remains: how much of this ‘console-first’ approach will translate when the time comes for the PC product? PC gamers will be watching closely, hoping that the focus on console stability won't compromise the high-performance and graphical excellence that CD Projekt RED games typically deliver on PC.