Witcher 4 Tech Demo vs Final Game? CD Projekt Answers

The Witcher 4 tech demo dazzled audiences, though CD Projekt stresses it's purely a technical showcase. As IGN clarified, this isn't actual gameplay footage - yet seeing this stunning Unreal Engine 5 preview set in The Witcher universe inevitably sparks questions about what the final game might deliver when it eventually arrives.

Next-Gen Showcase Running on Current Hardware

The PlayStation 5 demo maintains buttery smooth 60fps as Ciri explores Kovir - confirmed as an explorable region in the upcoming title. The level of detail surpasses anything we've seen from current-gen consoles, with remarkably fluid animations bringing both Ciri and her steed Kelpie to life as they traverse Kovir's mountainous terrain toward Valdrest's thriving port.

CD Projekt pushed technical boundaries by populating one market scene with 300 independently animated NPCs before concluding with our first glimpse of Lan Exeter, Kovir's winter capital and major seaport.

Tempering Expectations While Showing Ambition

CD Projekt understands hype cycles all too well after Cyberpunk 2077's rocky launch. We pressed Cinematic Director Kajetan Kapuściński about whether the demo represents actual gameplay quality - his response balanced optimism with prudent caution:

"This demonstrates our technological aspirations and artistic direction, but everything remains fluid in development. We're showcasing these collaborative advancements with Epic while emphasizing this isn't final gameplay."

Performance Breakthroughs

The demo's PS5 performance (60fps with ray tracing) seems improbable for such dense open worlds, but Epic's Wyeth Johnson confirms:

"We've aggressively optimized Unreal Engine to achieve this fidelity without compromises. Our new animation framework and geometry streaming allow unprecedented parallelism to fully utilize hardware capabilities."

Technical Showcase Gallery

Platform Considerations

While running on PS5 raises cross-gen questions, CD Projekt remains tight-lipped about whether The Witcher 4 will span current and next-gen platforms or face Xbox Series S optimization challenges - likely keeping these decisions under wraps until closer to the projected 2027 release window.