CDPR gave the world its first glimpse at The Witcher 4 last year. Promising lifelike NPCs, improved combat, and more, CDPR has set its sights on redefining the RPG genre once again with its latest release.

However, as great as The Witcher 4 sounds, it may suffer from turmoil that fans are unaware of. According to a prominent game director, the switch to Unreal Engine 5 is causing various problems for the team.

Why it matters: CDPR previously promised its shift to the new engine would not halt development. It seems recent information suggests otherwise.

This report comes from Daniel Vavra, the director behind Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, a game that has just launched to impressive reviews.

Discussing the choice behind opting for CryEngine instead of Unreal Engine, Daniel Vavra described that the latter is extremely difficult to work with when it comes to large games based on open-world experiences.

He also discussed CDPR’s switch to the engine, praising the team’s old technology. As per Daniel Vavra, a source revealed that CDPR has yet to lay the foundations for The Witcher 4’s open world despite switching to Unreal Engine 5 more than a year ago.

He implies that CDPR believes that the switch was a mistake since the REDengine was already so polished and stable.

I talked to someone (from CDPR) and said to him, so what about Unreal? What about the open world? He said not yet.

-Daniel Vavra

The Witcher 4 Might Run Into Technical Issues Due To Unreal Engine 5

It’s hard to say whether The Witcher 4 will be held back by this choice a few years from now, but Unreal Engine’s technical issues are undeniable. In particular, the engine is known for its stuttery and demanding nature across all types of hardware.