Cyberpunk 2077 and Witcher 3 Next-Gen Upgrades May Not Come In 2021

CD Projekt Red is a Polish studio known for releasing the iconic Witcher series. When they shared Witcher 3 with the world in 2015, it was met with critical acclaim and is considered one of the greatest open world games of all time. In 2020, Cyberpunk 2077 was released. Although, reactions were a bit more polarized, the title certainly left its mark in gaming history. Previously, CDPR had promised next-gen upgrades of both Cyberpunk 2077 and Witcher 3 for 2021. Unfortunately, recent conversations with investors cast doubt on whether these upgrades will see the light of day this year.

In a discussion with shareholders that was translated by VGC, CDPR expressed doubts about their next-gen upgrades of games arriving in 2021 as scheduled. The reason for this, they claim, is that they are being guided by the lessons they “have learned during the past year”. They are likely referencing 2020’s debacle which saw Cyberpunk 2077 performing poorly on last-gen consoles, resulting in the game being pulled from Sony’s PS Store due to poor technical performance on the PS4.

This is not reason to lose all hope, however. The developers claim that while they do have their doubts, their target is still “to release the next-gen version of Cyberpunk 2077 late this year”. If it means getting a game free of bugs and performance issues, perhaps a slightly longer wait is better than a rushed product.

Similarly, while they hope to release Witcher 3 in 2021, they could not confirm that this will be the case. Witcher 3 sits in a slightly different position, because the next-gen upgrade is not being developed by CDPR. Instead, it is being handled by Saber Interactive, the same team responsible for the Nintendo Switch port of Witcher 3.

According to CDPR, Witcher 3’s next-gen upgrade will be free for all PC, PS4 and Xbox players. The upgrade will come with ray-tracing and faster load times. Although details regarding Cyberpunk 2077’s next-gen features have yet to be outlined, CDPR have stated that the upgrade will be free for all gamers who own last-gen versions of the game.

While it is still uncertain whether Cyberpunk 2077 and Witcher 3 will receive their upgrades in 2021, both games are playable on next-gen consoles via backwards compatibility.

Cyberpunk 2077 is available on PC, Stadia, PS4, and Xbox One. Witcher 3 is available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch.