The Witcher 3's next-gen upgrade has been delayed 'until further notice'

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CD Projekt says it's bringing development of the long-overdue upgrade back in-house.

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(Image credit: CD Projekt)

The long-overdue next-gen Witcher 3 upgrade has been delayed yet again. CD Projekt announced today that the planned release in the second quarter of 2022 has been postponed, and a new release target has not been set.

"Based on recommendations from persons in charge of development, the Company has decided to have its in-house development team conduct the remaining work on the next-gen version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt," CD Projekt said. "The Company is currently evaluating the scope of work to be done and thus has to postpone the game’s release, previously scheduled for Q2 2022."

The statement is brief but implies that the participation of modders in the development of the upgrade, confirmed by CD Projekt in 2021, has come to an end. The fact that the studio needs to postpone the release "until further notice," as it said on Twitter, while it figures out what actually needs to be done also suggests that the job thus far has not gone especially smoothly (or, it would seem, with sufficient oversight).

This is the second lengthy delay for the next-gen upgrade, which will be available to PC owners as a free update: It was originally announced in September 2020 with an expected 2021 release, but in October 2021 it was pushed into mid-2022, as CD Projekt struggled to address problems with Cyberpunk 2077. CD Projekt declined to comment further on the reasons for the delay, or when a new release date might be announced.

Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.