14 DAY TRIAL // CD Projekt Red, the developer of the upcoming The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt role-playing game, confirmed that the world of the new title was about 35 times bigger than the one in The Witcher 2 and that, given all the improvements, was getting close to maxing out the next-gen consoles – the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
New consoles usually pose a lot of problems for developers but, as they work more and more with the devices, they start unlocking even more power and that's usually why the first games out for a console have a lower quality than subsequent ones.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, however, is close to maxing out the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One next-gen consoles, at least according to developer CD Projekt Red, who confirmed to VG247 that, because of the game's size and its features, it was squeezing all the available power from the two devices.
"At this point, we’re advanced in testing, running and experimenting with next-gen platforms, and at this point we know the game is pretty demanding. Of course, we still have the authorization phase in front of us, but because of size and density, we are already close to maxing out the equipment," the studio's Marek Ziemak said.
"Of course, if we find more workforce in boxes, we will surely use it to make the game even better. I think others share the same opinion as us, if there’s power to be used then why not use it all? [Laughs]"
Just to illustrate the jump from The Witcher 2 to The Witcher 3, Ziemak said that the world of the game was about 35 times bigger than the one in the last RPG.
"There’s a pretty huge diversity. The world is around 35x bigger than Witcher 2 and each location is different. We’re putting effort into creating unique elements in this world and producing various points of interest. We believe these things make a world more attractive and interesting. There are a few different kingdoms or relics you can visit as you travel through the game. All of them are connected and part of one coherent experience," he said.
The Witcher 3 is set to appear in 2014 for the PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.