CD Projekt has sworn off using generative AI in The Witcher 4 and other upcoming games

CD Projekt management clarified its position on the use of generative AI in the development of future games, including The Witcher 4, as part of its financial report for the 2024 calendar year.

Image source: CD Projekt Red

Recall that in January 2024, CD Projekt formed a team to study the application areas of AI and stated at the time that it saw the technology as a chance to “improve certain processes in game development, but not replace people.”

In CD Projekt’s new financial report, the company’s co-CEO Michał Nowakowski was asked about the use of generative AI in The Witcher 4 and other games in development.

Nowakowski said CD Projekt Red won’t be using generative AI in the development of The Witcher 4 or “other projects in the near future,” but not because of the mixed results of the technology.

«”To be honest, generative AI is quite a problematic area when it comes to IP ownership and things like that, on top of everything else,” Nowakowski explained CD Projekt’s reluctance to turn to the technology in the foreseeable future.

The Witcher 4 doesn’t have any target platforms yet, but at least it now has a release date – no earlier than 2027. The game entered active production last fall.

The game is an open-world action role-playing game powered by Unreal Engine 5 and the beginning of a new trilogy. According to the plot, Ciri has passed the Trial of the Grasses and is preparing to become a real witcher.