Don’t Be Fooled by Witcher 4’s Graphics

The latest tech demo released for Witcher 4 has attracted attention with its visual quality, but CD Projekt Red is already warning that these images may not be exactly the same as the final game. Stating that they are still at the beginning of the development process, the team emphasizes that this demo is not a “gameplay” and should not be confused with the final product.

Witcher 4 Demo Is Just a Tech Demo

CD Projekt Red’s engineering production manager Jan Hermanowicz explained in an interview with GamesRadar+ that the scene shown at the State of Unreal event was just a tech demo and did not include direct gameplay. Although the region in the demo was taken from Kovir, which will be in the game, it was stated that the assets used may change in the final version. Hermanowicz confirmed that the demo was played by a person on real PS5 hardware, but emphasized that this was done only for the purpose of showcasing the technology.

CD Projekt Red seems to have shaped these statements with the lessons learned from the Cyberpunk 2077 launch process. Hermanowicz stated that the studio is determined to be transparent this time. He said, “We are not presenting this as gameplay, this is a technological demonstration,” and that they wanted to direct expectations in the right way. However, the demonstration on the real console may cause the players to perceive it as gameplay.

It is also stated that there is a visual consistency between the previous trailers of Witcher 4 and the tech demo. Hermanowicz said that the art style and visual direction are still clearly visible, but these aspects may change during the game’s development process. He stated that the characters and general style used in the promotion reflect CD Projekt Red’s current approach.

Graphics discussions are not new in the gaming world. Marvel’s Spider-Man also received similar criticisms of “graphics degradation”. It is frequently reminded that Witcher 3 also has differences between the trailers and the final version. CDPR’s aim this time seems to be to keep expectations under control from the beginning and to provide players with as clear information as possible. But it looks like they’ll have to hold off on making any announcements about this until Witcher 4 comes out.

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