Stunt professionals can now receive Oscars, and after seeing how The Witcher 4 trailer was made, it’s clear they deserve the same kind of respect in the video game world. Polish visual effects studio Platige Image, known for their top-tier cinematic work, has released a stunning behind-the-scenes look at how the Game Awards 2024 trailer came together—and it’s absolutely breathtaking.

The cinematic trailer for The Witcher 4, unveiled during the 2024 Game Awards, captivated audiences with its powerful storytelling and impressive visuals. Today, on April 16—five months later—fans are still daydreaming about returning to the Continent as Ciri, following in Geralt’s footsteps. Platige Image, the Polish studio behind the visuals, has now given us a rare glimpse into how the trailer was filmed—and their work only makes the wait for the full game even harder to bear.

Exceptional motion capture work for The Witcher 4

The team at Platige Image worked hand in hand with CD Projekt RED to bring this next chapter to life, centered on Ciri. Production began with several days of planning, followed by complex motion capture sessions that recreated intricate combat scenes and introduced new monsters. One of these was the Bauk, a creature stitched together from the traits of multiple beasts.

Creating the Bauk was a major undertaking. The team constructed a physical puppet for the monster’s head and limbs, which was controlled by four separate operators to simulate believable movement. This practical approach gave animators the ability to capture the interaction between Ciri and the creature with an exceptional level of realism, resulting in a dynamic fight scene that feels incredibly lifelike.

To enhance the trailer’s cinematic look, traditional film techniques were adapted to a digital environment. The crew experimented with different lenses and camera rigs to mimic visual effects like lens flare and distortion—details that were then digitally replicated in Unreal Engine 5. This dedication to detail helped create an aesthetic that perfectly blends the worlds of cinema and interactive entertainment.

Platige Image and CD Projekt RED—who previously teamed up for Netflix’s animated feature The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep—continue to showcase the value of performance artists working in gaming. Now that the Oscars include a category for “Best Stunt Design,” it’s time for the games industry to follow suit. With the kind of physical and creative demands these professionals take on, they deserve recognition not just from fans, but from the entire entertainment industry.

In the end, the trailer for The Witcher 4 doesn’t just tease the next entry in a beloved franchise—it raises expectations for what cinematic storytelling in games can look like. Whether the final game delivers on that promise remains to be seen. For now, CD Projekt’s upcoming RPG still doesn’t have a release date, and the earliest possible window seems to be sometime in 2027.

Source: 3djuegos