CD Projekt Red has never had a fuller plate. The studio is simultaneously finishing The Witcher 4, preparing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered for a September launch, and supporting Fool’s Theory on a new expansion — all while keeping one eye on a project that many fans had quietly wondered about: the remake of the original Witcher game.
That remake, it turns out, is going to have to wait considerably longer. CD Projekt Red has confirmed that development is effectively on hold, integrated into The Witcher 4’s pipeline until the necessary groundwork is in place.
Fool’s Theory Is Working on Everything but the Remake
Developer Fool’s Theory was originally contracted specifically to remake The Witcher — the 2007 RPG that launched the series. But the studio’s focus has since shifted substantially. The majority of the team is now dedicated to The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past, a full expansion for Wild Hunt confirmed for 2027. A smaller portion of the team is also supporting CD Projekt Red directly on The Witcher 4.
That leaves very little capacity for the remake itself — and CDPR has now confirmed to GameSpot that the situation is by design.
“Fool’s Theory team is focused mainly on the development of Witcher 3: Songs of the Past, while a relatively small part of their team is supporting the development of The Witcher 4. As we have previously announced, the development on The Witcher Remake has been temporarily integrated with The Witcher 4 due to production process dependencies.” — CD Projekt Red spokesperson
Why the Remake Must Wait for Witcher 4
The reasoning is primarily technical. The Witcher 4 marks the first time CD Projekt Red has moved away from its in-house REDengine, switching to Unreal Engine 5. That shift is significant: UE5 will become the technological backbone for all future CDPR projects, including the Witcher remake.
Until Witcher 4 has established the necessary assets, tools, and production pipelines in that engine, development on the remake cannot meaningfully begin. It would be building on a foundation that doesn’t yet exist.
“As The Witcher Remake will be built on the foundation laid by The Witcher 4, we need to have the necessary assets, tools, and pipelines ready for efficient development,” the CDPR statement reads.
Fool’s Theory’s partial role on Witcher 4 is itself strategic — the studio is getting hands-on experience with UE5 workflows before taking those skills back to the remake.
Don’t Expect It Before 2029
The Witcher remake has no release window. Given that The Witcher 4 won’t land before 2028, the remake almost certainly follows after that. Some analysts and media outlets have suggested 2029 as the earliest realistic window, though CDPR has made no commitments.
The company has been transparent about its long-term plans for the Witcher universe: a new trilogy of games fronted by Ciri, with all three titles targeted within a six-year period from The Witcher 4’s launch. The remake of the original game could slot in between Witcher 4 and Witcher 5, bridging that gap for fans eager for more of the series.
That said, the studio is clear that this isn’t cause for alarm. Fool’s Theory remains attached to the project, and the integration with Witcher 4’s development is described as deliberate rather than a sign of trouble. The Witcher remake was originally announced back in 2022 and was confirmed to be an open-world rebuild that won’t shy away from updating or removing aspects of the original that feel dated.
What CD Projekt Red Still Has in Store
Despite the packed schedule, CDPR isn’t standing still on other fronts. Alongside the Witcher pipeline, the studio is also developing a brand-new IP — codenamed Project Hadar — which is currently in the prototyping phase and ramping up hiring. Details remain scarce, but the confirmation that it exists and is actively growing is its own piece of news.
For fans of the original Witcher who’ve been waiting for a modern take on Geralt’s debut adventure, the message from CD Projekt Red is essentially: it’s coming — just not yet, and not until the foundations are properly built.
