CD Projekt Red has confirmed that its Unreal Engine 5 remake of 2007's The Witcher will be fully open world.
Revealed during its third quarter financial results, CD Projekt Red briefly mentioned its announcement of The Witcher Remake, saying that it will be a "story-driven, single player open world RPG".
The studio had previously only confirmed that it would be another "full-fledged" Witcher game, but as the original is not open world, there was still speculation whether or not the remake would resemble the 2007 version or something closer to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
CD Projekt Red didn't say anything else about the new game, reiterating its point made in October that "it's gonna be a while until we can share more details."
"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,” added studio head Adam Badowski at the time.
The original Witcher saw Geralt adventure around the Temerian capital of Vizima, a location briefly visited in The Witcher 3. While players could only access the royal castle in the third game, however, the entirety of Vizima, its outskirts, and more will be opened up in The Witcher remake.
Each of these areas was broken up as a different level in the original and, for the most part, once one had been completed players couldn't go back. With the remake though, it appears that all of these areas will be connected, and players can walk in and out of Vizima the same way they do Novigrad in The Witcher 3.
In our 8/10 review of the original, IGN said: "The Witcher really is a good game and one that PC RPG fans will surely enjoy. It combines some entertaining and fast-paced combat with a well realized world and pretty decent story that branches and can end in three different fashions."
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.