Let’s not make the same mistake with The Witcher 4!

We shouldn't let history repeat itself when it comes to The Witcher 4. By now, everyone has likely seen the brief glimpse of gameplay shown at State of Unreal. The hype is already palpable; fan theories and plot discussions are everywhere, and the expectation that we’re getting another generation-defining title is becoming the consensus. But let’s pause for a second and ask ourselves—haven't we been here before?

First, let's look at the facts. The Witcher 4 marks the beginning of a new trilogy set after the events of The Witcher 3. This also means we are officially moving on from Geralt as the protagonist, likely stepping into the shoes of Ciri, a character fans already know and love.

Following the tech demo, an avalanche of positive comments flooded the internet, which is expected. However, we need to be realistic about what we actually saw. In response to the buzz, the Polish studio quickly clarified that this wasn't actual gameplay, but rather a demonstration of technological capabilities. Even though there was a person with a controller on screen, they were simply showcasing what Unreal Engine 5 can do.

This leads to a simple conclusion: the game hasn't reached the stage where they can show real gameplay yet. Therefore, we should expect that the final product might not actually match this specific level of detail.

Is that a bad thing? Not at all. So why did I say we shouldn't make the same mistake again? Because people often base their expectations on unrealistic, early footage out of pure excitement, only to end up disappointed. CD Projekt Red has a track record of releasing trailers that don't quite align with the launch version. Just look at Cyberpunk 2077 and the claims of it being the "most immersive city in gaming history"—it looked incredible in the clips, but the reality at launch was a collection of fairly empty streets.

We can't ignore the history of controversial launches surrounding this studio. While enough has been said about Cyberpunk, many forget that The Witcher 3 was also a buggy, unoptimized mess when it first dropped. If you go even further back, you’ll see a similar pattern with their earlier titles.

Finally, there’s the issue of the release date. Developers have hinted that The Witcher 4 won't arrive before 2027, which sounds plausible. However, since nothing in the gaming industry ever goes strictly according to plan, a 2028 release is highly likely. That wouldn't be a problem on its own, but what if that coincides with the launch of a new console generation? That would make The Witcher 4 a cross-gen title, just like Cyberpunk 2077 was—and we all remember how that disaster turned out.

So, what’s the point of all this? Am I trying to talk you out of playing it? Not at all. I’m just saying we need to calm down, lower our expectations, and stop waving our wallets until we see what the game actually looks like. CD Projekt Red has a habit of making things look better than they are in the beginning. While their projects eventually reach that promised level of quality, we need to be patient to avoid the inevitable heartbreak of another "broken" launch.