At the end of 2022, CD Projekt Red announced a remake of the first part of The Witcher, which is being developed on the new Unreal Engine 5. Since then, it has only been revealed that the game will be a “single-player RPG in an open world”.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t give a great idea of what the game will be like, but you can still make some guesses.

When the remake was first announced, Adam Badowski, head of CD PROJECT RED, said the following:

“The Witcher is where it all started for us, for CD PROJEKT RED. 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,” said Adam Badowski, Head of Studio, CD PROJEKT RED. “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. 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.”

From his words, it is not difficult to guess that the remake is important for the developers, and that they want to convey the experience of players from 2007 today, but adapt it to modern realities.

The original The Witcher was a linear game with a set of locations and acts. Players had a certain amount of freedom of action when they got to the next closed location, but there were no special benefits from exploring the world. Even so, the game was eventful and it was still interesting to explore that limited world.

In the remake, Fool’s Theory, who are doing the bulk of the work, along with CD Projekt Red, who will take over the creative direction, can change that, and most likely will. We’re probably in for a game filled with a variety of side activities and quests, similar to what we saw in The Witcher 3, but hopefully not a new The Witcher 3.

Although Fool’s Theory hasn’t released many of its own projects, it still has experience in working on large RPGs. They helped to develop Baldur’s Gate 3 and the expansion packs for Divinity: Original Sin 2, which are quite different from The Witcher 3.

Besides, we shouldn’t forget about the veterans of CD Projekt Red, who also work in the studio and are well acquainted with The Witcher series from the very beginning.

Their approach to the game may be slightly different from what CD Projekt Red is doing now. For example, the studio’s next project, The Thaumaturge, which will be released on December 5, is an isometric turn-based RPG developed on Unreal Engine 5. This game is much more reminiscent of the original The Witcher than subsequent games in the series.

Given that there are many more games planned for The Witcher series, including part 4, the remake of the first one could be a breath of fresh air for fans who want more of Gerald’s adventures, but with a new perspective.

Of course, there is also the possibility that the remake will simply take the story of the first game, add a new combat system, an open world, and cool graphics, but I would still like to see more variety in the approach to the franchise. We’ll see how it turns out, I hope, soon.