The Witcher Remake Is on Hold Until The Witcher 4's Development Progresses, Confirms CD Projekt Red

The remake of The Witcher is currently on hold while the team focuses on The Witcher 4 and The Witcher 3's new expansion, according to CD Projekt Red.

Developer Fool's Theory is helping out on The Witcher 4 and developing The Witcher 3's Songs of the Past expansion, but it is also attached to remake the first Witcher game. Unfortunately, that remake is on the hold for the time being. The studio confirmed this in a statement to GameSpot, noting that part of the hold up is due to the fact that the remake is being built on the back of The Witcher 4. As a result, the development team working on the remake will have to wait until The Witcher 4 gets further into development so that the remake can utilize all of the assets and tools created for the next installment.

“Fool’s Theory team is focused mainly on the development of Witcher 3: Songs of the Past, while a relatively small part of their team is supporting the development of The Witcher 4," said a CDPR rep. "As we have previously announced, the development on The Witcher Remake has been temporarily integrated with The Witcher 4 due to production process dependencies. As The Witcher Remake will be built on the foundation laid by The Witcher 4, we need to have the necessary assets, tools, and pipelines ready for efficient development.”

All in all, it doesn't sound like there's any reason to be concerned about whether The Witcher remake will see the light of day. Fool's Theory appears to be working on The Witcher 4 specifically so it can get familiar with the new tools and processes before continuing development on the remake. The Witcher remake was announced in 2022, and the team has openly talked about how it will be an open-world game that will remove or remake parts of the original that they feel are outdated or bad.

Ultimately, it sounds like we shouldn't expect The Witcher remake before 2028. CD Projekt Red has stated The Witcher 4 is currently slated to arrive in 2028, and it plans to complete a trilogy within six years of The Witcher 4's debut. It seems like the remake of The Witcher could come between The Witcher 4 and 5 to help keep fans busy.

CD Projekt Red is also developing a plethora of other projects, including a new IP, currently codenamed Project Hadar. Not much is known about the title, but CDPR confirmed today that it is ramping up hiring on the project while prototyping the game.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN's news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.