The next-gen version of The Witcher 3 will be releasing on December 14, and CDPR recently released the patch notes for it, detailing the improvements that have been made for modern systems. As many will expect, there are going to be some exclusive changes mainly to the overall visuals, including added ray tracing on both console and PC, updated textures for the sky, improved meshes, an update to the global environmental lighting, and much more.
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In the run-up to December 14, the studio has uploaded footage to The Witcher YouTube channel, which is essentially a relaxation video that uses the visuals from The Witcher 3 next-gen upgrade. It consists entirely of Geralt of Rivia standing on the edge of the lake in Upper Mill, Brunwich. The windmill in the distance spins its blades slowly as the sound of the water can be heard and the day turns to night, then back to day again. While obviously intended as a showcase for the updated visuals, it’s quite a unique take on the typical trailers that gamers are used to. It offers something much more serene and tranquil.
While it’s the graphical tweaks and improvements that pretty much everyone is anticipating, there will be some other changes coming. For example, CDPR has been testing community mods for The Witcher 3 to see which ones will still be compatible when the update rolls out. At the time of the report, there were 38 out of 71 tested modifications that were said to be working as intended, but there’s no indication of whether the developer has managed to sort out the remaining 33.
Alongside the next-gen upgrade, not to mention the brand-new entry in The Witcher series, the studio is also working on an official remake of the original 2007 Witcher game. There’s no way of knowing when this remake or the next installment will be releasing, but it sounds like both projects are at least a few years away from launching.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is available now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions launching December 14.
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Source: DSO Gaming
