Witcher 3 And Cyberpunk 2077's REDengine 3 Revealed With Screenshot

Today CD Projekt RED released the first screenshot of REDengine 3. REDengine 3 is the latest iteration of the studio's in-house engine and will be used for both Cyberpunk 2077 and Witcher 3.

CD Projekt says that the engine blurs the line between pre-rendered CGI videos and real-time rendered graphics. It features new face and body animation systems to allow for realistic movement and emotional expressions by characters. Layered terrains, precise lighting and cinematic post-processing effects are also promised.

The technology is designed specifically for RPG's. CD Projekt says that it's well suited for massive open-world games with branching storylines. The REDkit editor will allow the community to create dense, branching questlines in a sandbox enviornment "with a simplicity not achieved by similar toolsets."

“If we look at RPGs nowadays we find two approaches, one which emphasizes the story but limits the game world, and one that builds a vast, open world but hampers and simplifies the story. With the REDengine 3 we combine the positive aspects of both approaches for the first time, creating an open environment with a complex, multi-thread story," said CD Projekt RED leader Adam Badowski. "Together with believable characters, a captivating tale and a world where players can roam freely without loading times, we will be able to move gaming to a new level with a realistic feel and full player immersion."

"When working on our previous titles, I didn’t dream that we would achieve something like this. Thanks to the support of all our fans, now we have the possibility to use REDengine 3 and create something many RPG fans dream of."

Cyberpunk 2077 will be the first game to show off this new technology. The first trailer for 2077 says it will be "coming when it's ready." Witcher 3 hasn't been formally announced yet, but was subtly teased in that same trailer.