CD Projekt says abandoning its in-house engine for The Witcher 4 had nothing to do with Cyberpunk 2077’s technical woes: ‘The dream of the company was actually never to make technology’
CD Projekt Red has dismissed speculation that Cyberpunk 2077’s troubled development influenced its decision to abandon its in-house REDengine in favor of Unreal Engine 5 for The Witcher 4. The studio’s co-CEO Michał Nowakowski addressed the shift, emphasizing that the company’s priorities have never centered on technology development.
The engine switch represents a significant strategic pivot for CD Projekt Red, which has relied on REDengine since The Witcher series’ early entries. The decision comes as the studio prepares to develop The Witcher 4 with Ciri replacing series protagonist Geralt as the main character—another major departure for the franchise.
Industry observers and fans have speculated that Cyberpunk 2077’s infamously challenging launch and ongoing technical challenges may have motivated the engine swap. The 2020 sci-fi RPG faced widespread criticism for performance issues, bugs, and missing features across platforms, requiring years of post-launch patches and upgrades.
However, Nowakowski pushed back against this narrative, stating that the company’s fundamental mission has always been game development rather than engine technology. According to the executive, abandoning the in-house engine represents a return to this core focus, allowing CD Projekt Red to concentrate resources on creating compelling gameplay experiences rather than maintaining proprietary technology. The shift to Unreal Engine 5 aligns CD Projekt Red with many other major studios that have adopted Epic’s widely-used engine.