The announcement of a new installment in The Witcher series has generated significant enthusiasm among fans. While developers are showcasing advanced technology, attention is focused on CD Projekt Red‘s (CDPR) need to ensure the next title avoids the severe performance and stability issues experienced during the launches of *The Witcher 3* and *Cyberpunk 2077*.
Development Details and Scope
When the project was revealed, a first cinematic trailer featuring Ciri sparked immense excitement. Although no official release date has been set, CDPR provided an early look at the technology powering the sequel. This demonstration highlighted cutting-edge features of Unreal Engine 5.6, including the Unreal Animation Framework and Nanite Foliage rendering.
The scope of the new game is expected to be massive. During a previous presentation, Sebastian Kalemba and Gosia Mitręga confirmed that while the game will feature entirely new regions unseen in prior Witcher titles, the map size and quest volume should remain comparable to those found in *The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt*. Addressing the scale, Kalemba stated:
The map is definitely more or less when it comes to size, the amount of quests, more or less the same,” Kalemba said at the time. “Again, the game is going to be big. But also, the ambition of the entire team is huge. So first and foremost, we want to deliver a super compelling experience.”
The developers emphasized that delivering an outstanding player experience remains their primary goal.
Concerns Over Launch Stability
Despite the promise of intricate open worlds and deep lore, concerns remain regarding the game’s launch quality. Historically, ambitious open-world RPGs have faced issues with bugs, instability, and crashes upon release. CDPR’s own history provides context for these worries.
*The Witcher 3*, while acclaimed today, initially launched with numerous stability bugs. However, it was the studio’s futuristic action role-playing game, *Cyberpunk 2077*, that drew particular historical scrutiny for its troubled debut in November 2020.
CDPR’s initial teaser trailer for *Cyberpunk 2077* debuted in 2013. After several delays, the title finally launched in November 2020 and faced significant technical problems. Former CDPR president and joint CEO Adam Kiciński addressed the issues at the time:
“After three delays, we as the Management Board were too focused on releasing the game,” said former CDPR president and joint CEO Adam Kiciński at the time, “We underestimated the scale and complexity of the issues, we ignored the signals about the need for additional time to refine the game on the base last-gen consoles. It was the wrong approach and against our business philosophy. On top of that, during the campaign, we showed the game mostly on PCs.”
The performance problems were so severe that Sony issued full refunds and temporarily pulled the game from the PlayStation Store until a year later. Although *Cyberpunk 2077* eventually underwent a “renaissance” through extensive patching and new content, its challenging launch remains part of the studio’s narrative.
Prioritizing Optimization for Future Success
In contrast to past struggles, some sources suggest that current development practices are prioritizing stability. Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, director of *Blood of Dawnwalker* (a dark-fantasy RPG), confirmed that his team built upon the lessons learned from both *The Witcher 3* and *Cyberpunk 2077*. He highlighted their focus on optimization:
“We learned how to approach the optimization of the game,” he said. “When we started work on The Blood of the Dawnwalker, we already had people working on the optimization of our game all the time, right from the beginning.”
To further address systemic issues within the studio, CDPR technical writers Jarosław Ruciński and Adrian Fulneczek detailed changes in internal process. They noted a shift toward comprehensive documentation, which has become mandatory for passing development “gates,” an improvement not present in previous projects.
“Unlike in the past, now, today our knowledge isn’t locked between specific teams’ permissions. It’s a shared asset. If a team working on, let’s say, The Witcher figures out a solution for a specific issue, the Cyberpunk team can see it, benefit from it, take it into their own code, modify it probably a little bit.”
Ruciński explained that this new approach ensures that advancements made in one project benefit the entire company, thereby preventing multiple teams from solving the same complex issues repeatedly. The technical leadership indicated a renewed focus on process management and shared knowledge to ensure a more robust development cycle for future titles.
