CD Projekt constantly playtesting Witcher 4 on consoles to avoid another Cyberpunk 2077 fiasco

CD Projekt RED wants to avoid another Cyberpunk 2077 fiasco at all costs, and that's why they're constantly playtesting The Witcher 4 on consoles.

CD Projekt constantly playtesting Witcher 4 on consoles to avoid another Cyberpunk 2077 fiasco
Comment IconFacebook IconX IconReddit Icon
Senior Gaming Editor
Published
1 minute & 30 seconds read time
TL;DR: CD Projekt is prioritizing quality assurance for The Witcher 4 to avoid past issues like those with Cyberpunk 2077. The game, starring Ciri, is in development with over 400 developers involved. The studio emphasizes frequent testing on Gen 9 consoles.

After a long four-year redemption arc, CD Projekt doesn't want to jeopardize its success streak and is significantly emphasizing Q&A with The Witcher 4.

CD Projekt constantly playtesting Witcher 4 on consoles to avoid another Cyberpunk 2077 fiasco 20

CD Projekt is doing everything it can to ensure that The Witcher IV doesn't become another Cyberpunk 2077 situation. The sci-fi FPS launched onto last-gen consoles in 2020 with disastrous performance and caused significant reputational harm to the Polish game dev. The studio bounced back with multiple free Cyberpunk 2077 updates and the game's lauded Phantom Liberty expansion.

Now all eyes are on the studio for the latest entry in the beloved Witcher franchise, which was recently announced at The Game Awards 2024. The Witcher IV stars Ciri as the main protagonist, pitting players against fearsome monstrosities in an epic fantasy storyline that chronicles Zireael's brutal journey to become a professional monster hunter.

The Witcher 4, previously known as codename Polaris, entered principle development weeks ago and is now CD Projekt's top project. More than 400 developers are working on the project, and a lot of them are consistently trying out the game as it's being built in an effort to avoid any kinds of issues on Gen 9 consoles.

"We iterate often, play the game a lot. That was one of our things - even at the very beginning, [to] make sure it's working on the console, and we play it. We take it really seriously," Witcher 4 executive producer Małgorzata Mitręga told Bloomberg's Jason Schreier.

This falls in line with previous comments from CD Projekt RED about their new-and-improved agile pipeline system within Unreal Engine 5.

While there was no discussions on what kinds of expanded mechanics that the Witcher 4 could bring, the studio has also said that all of its future games would have online multiplayer elements of some kind. These online features would only serve to enhance singleplayer, CD Projekt said.

Photo of the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition - PlayStation 4 Complete Edition
Best Deals: Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition - PlayStation 4 Complete Edition
Country flag Today 7 days ago 30 days ago
$26.98 USD $26.69 USD
Buy
$49.99 USD -
Buy
$87.20 CAD $43.79 CAD
Buy
$54.99 CAD -
Buy
-
- £29.72
Buy
$26.98 USD $26.69 USD
Buy
* Prices last scanned on 2/10/2025 at 9:28 pm CST - prices may not be accurate, click links above for the latest price. We may earn an affiliate commission from any sales.

Senior Gaming Editor

Email IconX IconLinkedIn Icon

Derek joined the TweakTown team in 2015 and has since reviewed and played 1000s of hours of new games. Derek is absorbed with the intersection of technology and gaming, and is always looking forward to new advancements. With over six years in games journalism under his belt, Derek aims to further engage the gaming sector while taking a peek under the tech that powers it. He hopes to one day explore the stars in No Man's Sky with the magic of VR.

Related Topics

Newsletter Subscription