Image: CD Projekt Red
The Witcher series is returning to its roots. CD Projekt Red announced that one of the many new Witcher projects it’s working on, which includes a brand-new trilogy, is actually a remake of the first game.
Dubbed with the codename “Canis Majoris” — which is in line with CD Projekt Red’s astronomy-based naming convention and also means “big dog,” which is a hilarious and accurate way to describe Geralt of Rivia — The Witcher remake is being rebuilt from the ground up utilizing Unreal Engine 5.
“The Witcher is where it all started for us, for CD Projekt Red,” said studio head Adam Badowski in the announcement. “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 Witcher remake is being developed by third-party studio Fool’s Theory with the assistance of veteran Witcher developers and the supervision of CD Projekt Red.
“Canis Majoris” was referenced in CD Projekt Red’s strategy update earlier this month, which included a content roadmap featuring updates to the almost completely rehabbed Cyberpunk 2077 and a new, as yet unnamed, IP. The Witcher developer also shared that it’s making yet another Witcher game with multiplayer features in addition to a single-player campaign.
The Witcher as a series has been around since 2007 and enjoyed a fair amount of popularity, but the third title in the series — Wild Hunt — is where a lot of fans (yours truly included) were first introduced to the gruff, bath-loving Geralt. A Witcher 1 remake is a delightful little surprise then, as I’m excited to see how the ballad of Geralt of Rivia actually began.