The Witcher, CD Projekt's first game, is getting a full remake

(Image credit: CD Project)

The Witcher, the 2007 RPG that put CD Projekt on the map, is being remade. The studio announced the remake today, saying that it is "being rebuilt from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5."

"The Witcher is where it all started for us, for CD Projekt Red," studio head Adam Badowski said. "It was the first game we made, ever, and it was a big moment for us then. Going back to this place and remaking the game for the next generation of gamers to experience it feels just as big, if not bigger.

The remake is being developed by Polish studio Fool's Theory, the developer of Seven: The Days Long Gone, with CD Projekt providing "full creative supervision." Fool's Theory CEO Jakub Rokosz previously worked as a quest designer on The Witcher 2 and Witcher 3.

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"Collaborating with Fool’s Theory on the project is just as exciting, as some of the people there have been previously involved in The Witcher games," Badowski said. "They know the source material well, they know how much gamers have been looking forward to seeing the remake happen, and they know how to make incredible and ambitious games. And although it will take some time before we’re ready to share more about and from the game, I know it’ll be worth the wait."

The original Witcher was an outstanding RPG, but it was also pretty quirky in some notable ways. The most obvious was its combat, which relied on rhythmic mouse clicks to simulate smooth, flowing swordplay. I liked the system after I got used to it, but it was so completely different from other skill-based or click-to-spam combat systems that some players struggled with it.

I imagine that will be changed in the remake for something more conventional—and I expect the in-game cards that Geralt could collect for scoring with the many available and attractive ladies in the game (a relic of a very different era and culture) will be gone too.

CD Projekt confirmed that The Witcher remake is "Canis Majoris," one of the two spin-off games announced earlier this month. No further details have been revealed: CD Projekt said on Twitter that "we want to do this right, so please be patient."

We're thrilled to reveal that, together with @Fools_Theory, we're working on remaking The Witcher using Unreal Engine 5 (codename: Canis Majoris)! We want to do this right, so please be patient — it's gonna be a while until we can share more details. ⚔️ https://t.co/6VCAokPgXs pic.twitter.com/ERFOXQrUEPOctober 26, 2022

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.