Technology Improvements Made Adding Chain Physics Possible in The Witcher 3 Remaster

Developers are now able to bring their ideas to life without major issues.

CD Projekt RED is currently working with studio Fool’s Theory on a story expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt called Songs of the Past. The game will receive a new region to explore and story content, alongside an expanded arsenal for the main character.

Geralt will gain the ability to use a chain. The creators of The Witcher 3 originally wanted to give him this weapon in the base game, but technical limitations held them back at the time.

In a recent interview with TechRadar, Jakub Rokosz, who leads the development of Songs of the Past, shared his memories of working on The Witcher 3:

There were many discussions. We wanted to implement the chain in the original game, but from a technological standpoint, doing it properly was impossible. At the time, the combat, targeting, camera, and enemy systems were set up in a way that a single feature would have required far too massive an overhaul. When we began working on Songs of the Past and the remaster at the same time, we knew we would be tweaking various elements, and we finally had the opportunity to create the chain.

Adding the chain to The Witcher 3 became possible thanks to technological progress; 11 years ago, CDPR would have had to animate everything by hand — Image source: CD Projekt RED

Senior quest designer Despoina Anetaki noted that implementing such animations by hand is extremely difficult, but modern technology makes it possible to create the chain for Geralt without major issues:

It is a versatile weapon, and I think it will help embody the image of the butcher that many players envisioned, especially those who read the books and picture a badass Geralt with a chain. I think they are going to love it.

The Songs of the Past expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is expected to release in 2027. A more precise release date has not yet been announced.

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