This week has not been a particularly good one for fans ofCD Projekt Red. While there were rumors floating around that gamers could see theCyberpunk 2077DLC later this year, the developer recently stated that any major content coming to the sci-fi RPG will arrive in 2023. Alongside along wait for theCyberpunk 2077expansion, fans were given the unfortunate news thatThe Witcher 3’snext-gen ports were being delayed until further notice.It was announced earlier in the week that CD Projekt Red would be taking over the development of thenext gen versions ofThe Witcher 3. Previously, the game was being developed by Saber Interactive, which handled the Switch port ofThe Witcher 3and the 4K graphics update. After the game’s most recent delay, CD Projekt Red has made a statement hoping to calm those who believe they may never get their hands onThe Witcher 3’snext-gen upgrades. Specifically, the developer’s Senior Vice President of Business Development Michal Nowakowski wanted to make it clear that the game is not in “development hell.“RELATED:Rumor: Delayed Witcher 3 Upgrades May Have to Do With Ukraine Invasion"I want to state this is not the fact,” Nowakowski said in relation to some headlines insinuating that the game was in a poor development state. As well as claiming the games weren’t in development hell, Nowakowski also implied that the game wasn’t far from completion. “There’s been a lot of insinuations that we’re going to launch, like, June next year or something like that. That’s completely not the case,” he said later in an investors call. While this could be read as Nowakowski denying that the game will be releasing even as close as June next year, another statement fromCD Projekt Red’s joint CEO Adam Kicinski has fans believing that the game isn’t too far off.
Kicinski believes that there won’t be many developers needed to finish the work onThe Witcher 3’snext gen upgrades. There was an estimate that about 15 developers plus some external support staff would be needed, and Kicinski seems confident that taking overThe Witcher 3’snext-gen development will not affect production of the studio’s next game.
Even with these statements, without an official release date, many fans may find it difficult to believe that the game is coming anytime soon. Development hell has affected plenty of games and movies, often leading to a rushed or disappointing product when it finally launches or a title that fans will never see. Rarely will a game studio admit that a project is stuck in a development nightmare. However, when a title is delayed over multiple years, such asDead Island 2that is rumored to be in development hell, the signs become clear.
The Witcher 3: Wild Huntis available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions in development.
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