This summer, CD Projekt RED not only presented gameplay for the story expansion Songs of the Past (or “Ballads of the Past” in Russian localization) but also announced the remaster of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
In an interview, one of CD Projekt RED's co-CEOs, Michał Nowakowski, explained that they initially did not intend to make a remaster. However, during development, they discussed various improvements and at a certain point realized that they essentially already had a ready-made remaster on their hands.
In a conversation with TechRadar, Jakub Rokosz, the development lead for Songs of the Past, noted the close connection between the expansion and the remaster. According to the specialist, without the implemented improvements, the DLC could not have been made:
If I may say so: the stars aligned, because several circumstances had to coincide for this to happen. The Songs of the Past expansion and Letteń itself – the region where the events unfold – had a specific concept. We had an idea of how everything should look, but we faced specific technological challenges that could not be solved without the changes introduced to the game by the remaster.
Letteń has a lot of vegetation, and even at the prototype stage of the region's creation, the developers encountered the problem that it was “practically impossible to ride through on horseback.” Therefore, Jakub explains, the creators had to refine horse controls.
In the center of the location is a large lake that the game engine was not ready for. The developers further optimized the engine, so players will be able to see the reservoir and observe the fishermen.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt remaster is expected to be released on September 29, and the expansion will be released next year.