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The Witcher 4 lead says CD Projekt Red's State of Unreal stream "showcases both our ambition for the game and the in-engine capabilities," but "isn't a demo" of the RPG

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Director Sebastian Kalemba clears the air

The Witcher 4
(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)

Yesterday's State of Unreal 2025 live stream saw CD Projekt Red unveil more of The Witcher 4 and its features in a new tech demo – one that game director Sebastian Kalemba now clarifies is not a demo of the actual RPG itself.

The tech demo left fans of The Witcher series in a chokehold, blown away by the upcoming game's stunning new setting in the never-before-seen kingdom of Kovir and its hyper-realistic horse anatomy. But according to Kalemba, it wasn't exactly an entirely accurate showcase of the RPG as it'll be when it releases, but rather a deep dive into the impressive Unreal Engine 5 technology that's powering The Witcher 4.

Kalemba clarifies as much in an online post following the stream. "This demo is the direct result of the strategic partnership we announced back in 2022 between CD Projekt Red and Epic Games," writes the lead, going on to describe the studio's work with Epic to enhance the Unreal Engine's toolset. "Since then, we've been working closely together to develop new tools and enhance existing features in Unreal Engine 5."

That's where yesterday's State of Unreal stream comes in – as a look into the "ambition" CD Projekt Red has for the game, rather than the actual final product in action. "The tech demo, running on PlayStation 5 at 60 frames per second," writes Kalemba, "showcases both our ambition for the game and the in-engine capabilities powering The Witcher 4." The director then stresses again that the tech demo is just that.

"One super important thing to remember: this isn't a demo of the game itself, but rather a showcase of the engine and its capabilities," concludes Kalemba. "It's an early look and demonstration of what's possible at this stage of development, thanks to everyone's joint efforts."

In a follow-up post, he also explains that, while the demo ran on a PlayStation 5, the technology "works across all platforms the game will launch on."

Despite knowing the tech demo was a quick peek into what the Unreal Engine can do myself, I can't help but be all the more excited for the yet-to-arrive RPG – I mean, just look at those new Witcher 4 screenshots shared yesterday.

Need even more to look forward to yourself? Here are other new games coming this year and beyond.

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Anna Koselke
Anna Koselke
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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