CD Projekt Red officially announces development of new Witcher game

Sean — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 06:25:29 +0000

CD Projekt Red has just announced that it has began development of a new game within its popular Witcher series. The company’s last Witcher game was released back in 2015 and saw great success.

https://t.co/XtbfqscMWr pic.twitter.com/eK6ZIbfLRa

— The Witcher (@witchergame) March 21, 2022

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was the last entry in the series, which is based on a Polish series of fantasy novels. While the first two titles also saw decent sales, this title basically thrusted the series into mainstream popularity. Notably, there is even a critically acclaimed Netflix series based on the same setting and name. Now, the studio has announced that it is working on the new game with a multi year partnership with Epic Games. This will have CD Projekt Red built a new Witcher game on the Unreal Engine 5 game engine.

For those unaware, the studio has been using its proprietary REDengine technology for its games. But with the partnership, CD Projekt Red will have access to tailor made tools and assistance from Epic Games for the latest generation of Unreal Engine. This REDengine had even powered the infamous Cyberpunk 2077 as well. The company added that this engine will continue to power 2077, with the Witcher 3 also receiving a new gen console upgrade later this year.

While the studio hasn’t shared any finer details at the moment, CD Projekt Red CTO Paweł Zawodny stated that “One of the core aspects of our internal RED 2.0 Transformation is a much stronger focus on technology, and our cooperation with Epic Games is based on this principle. From the outset, we did not consider a typical licensing arrangement; both we and Epic see this as a long-term, fulfilling tech partnership. It is vital for CD PROJEKT RED to have the technical direction of our next game decided from the earliest possible phase as; in the past, we spent a lot of resources and energy to evolve and adapt REDengine with every subsequent game release.”

Sony acquires Haven Studios, a new Canada-based independent game developer

Jeet — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 02:50:07 +0000

Sony has announced that the company has signed an agreement for the acquisition of Haven Studios but financial details about the transaction remain unknown.

The development comes after Haven Studios and Sony had been in a partnership for over a year and after the acquisition, Haven will be one of the first for PlayStation Studios.

Haven Studios was founded by Jade Raymond, co-creator of Assassin’s Creed and former head of Stadia Games and Entertainment. This new gaming studio was founded by Raymond in March last year.

Although it was an independent company, it was backed by Sony, and the first project was said to be a new IP for PlayStation. Details about that first game remain undisclosed but Jade Raymond says that the team has “made amazing progress.”

Commenting about the acquisition, Hermen Hulst, head of PlayStation Studios, said: “We began working with Jade and her team in early 2021 when they were on the brink of announcing the formation of Haven Studios. From their first pitch, we were inspired by Haven’s vision for creating a modern multiplayer experience that brings gamers together in positive and meaningful ways. We were confident in their creative and technical expertise to deliver on such an ambitious project and were thrilled to invest in their journey developing a new, original IP for PlayStation.”

The acquisition of Haven Studios also means that Sony now has a team of game developers in Canada. For those who are unaware, Canada is one of the biggest producers of AAA games in the world and most major games companies have a presence in the country.

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CD Projekt Red officially announces development of new Witcher game

Sony acquires Haven Studios, a new Canada-based independent game developer