CD Projekt Red has unveiled its “Canis Majoris” project, a full-scale Unreal Engine 5 remake of the very first Witcher game from 2007.

CD Projekt Red has announced several projects over the past few weeks, with the latest reveal being that The Witcher Remake will be built on Unreal Engine 5. As many of you know, CD Projekt Red’s biggest and most prolific franchise is The Witcher. The second and third games in the trilogy have always received the most attention, but it’s exciting for the franchise as a whole to know that the first game is being brought up to today’s standards.

Of course, The Witcher Remake isn’t the only project within the franchise, as CD Projekt Red is also working on a PS5/Xbox Series X update for The Witcher 3. They are also working on the first major Cyberpunk 2077 DLC, Phantom Liberty, and are starting work on a proper sequel. There’s also Project Hadar, a brand new original IP for the studio. That’s quite a lot for one studio, but it should be noted that most of these are still in early development, with the exception of the Cyberpunk DLC and development on The Witcher 3.

The Witcher Remake was previously codenamed Canis Majoris, and CD Projekt Red says the game is “still early”. The studio wants to make sure it is recreated with the utmost care and attention to detail. That’s why CD Projekt Red is asking for patience alongside the exciting news. Development is still in the early stages using Unreal Engine 5, and the project has been outsourced to Polish development studio Fool’s Theory, which includes veterans of the Witcher series. CD Projekt Red maintains full creative control over the project.

The Witcher put CD Projekt Red on the map, and it was a big moment for the studio. According to studio head Adam Badowski, “To come back to this place and remake the game for the next generation of gamers to experience feels just as big, if not bigger. Working with Fool’s Theory on the project is just as exciting as some of the people there have been involved in The Witcher games before. They know the source material well, how much gamers have been looking forward to the remake, and how to make incredible and ambitious games.”

Details on The Witcher Remake are scarce for now and won’t be for a good few years, but the prospects are exciting. In the meantime, plenty of exciting things are happening with Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3.