Will The Witcher 4 Be Playable on Current-Gen Consoles?
Since The Witcher 4’s impressive, ultra-high-fidelity debut trailer at The Game Awards last week, there’s been a fair bit of consternation from fans as to whether it’ll actually be playable on current-gen hardware. That’s something only compounded by the mention, in the trailer’s small print and a brief official blog, that the trailer was pre-rendered on a mysterious, “unannounced Nvidia GeForce RTX” graphics card, “using assets and models from the game itself” – suggesting at least some minor level of similarity to what the game will look like on arrival.
Developer’s History with Console Struggles
Developer CD Projekt Red also has some history with older console struggles, with the last-gen consoles of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One proving hugely problematic for Cyberpunk 2077’s launch. The studio ultimately dropped them for the Phantom Liberty expansion that arrived in 2023.
Interview Insights
Speaking with CDPR in a new interview this week, Eurogamer asked whether the studio could reassure console owners that they could actually run it – and whether it could run on, say, an Xbox Series S, which as things stand is still required for any game releasing on the Xbox Series X. The developers were a little coy in response.
Technical Showpiece or Marketing Campaign?
The emphasis on this just being an early showcase, rather than a true ‘beginning of marketing’ campaign, brings to mind some comments from CDPR joint CEO Michał Nowakowski to Eurogamer recently, detailed more fully in our recent report on what we can expect from The Witcher 4.
Platforms and Development Process
With the process applied across all of the studio’s upcoming games, it makes for an interesting situation with The Witcher 4. If the studio’s hesitant to commit to its viability on current-gen platforms (albeit not ruling that out of course), and it also now develops games on the lowest-spec platforms alongside high end PCs, what might those platforms be here? Going from what CD Projekt Red’s said so far, we might be waiting a fair bit longer to find out.
Conclusion
In conclusion, The Witcher 4’s early showcase has raised questions about its compatibility with current-gen consoles. While the developers have been somewhat vague in their responses, it seems that more information will be revealed as the game’s development progresses.
FAQs
Q: Will The Witcher 4 be playable on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One?
A: The compatibility of The Witcher 4 with older consoles like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One remains uncertain, given the studio’s history with console struggles.
Q: What engine is The Witcher 4 being developed on?
A: The game is being developed on Unreal Engine 5 and a custom build in collaboration with Epic’s engineers.
Q: When can we expect more details about The Witcher 4’s release?
A: While specifics are currently limited, further information about the game’s release and platform compatibility is expected to be revealed in due course.
Credit: www.eurogamer.net
