Kingdom Come Dev Slams Witcher 4 Slow Progress, Unreal Engine Woes

In a previous interview, the co-founder of Warhorse Studios, Daniel Vávra, was questioned about why they opted for Cry Engine instead of something like Unreal Engine for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. He explained that at that time, no other engine could manage it as effectively, and to be truthful, Unreal Engine still struggles to run the game in 2024.

He went on to say, “I spoke with individuals from teams working on The Witcher, as well as studios attempting to create open-world games using Unreal Engine. It seems there aren’t many open-world games built on Unreal, unlike Assassin’s Creed and similar titles which have their own engines. Recently, CD Projekt Red has transitioned to the Unreal Engine, but according to someone I spoke with, they had a strong in-house engine previously.”

“In my opinion, the switch was made despite their solid proprietary engine. This person mentioned that they were pleased with certain aspects already completed, like landscapes, on Unreal, but when I asked about the open world, they said it wasn’t ready yet. They announced this transition around a year or two ago, and as of now, it still isn’t functioning properly.

11 months back, during his interview, Daniel discussed an issue that’s become increasingly prevalent within the gaming community – the Unreal Engine predicament. This problem seems to be a significant concern for an ever-growing number of players in the industry.

Not just The Witcher series, but also Halo is transitioning to the Unreal Engine. They’ve invested heavily in their own Slipspace engine, yet chose to migrate after making this decision. What might be the issue here?

It’s been observed that Unreal Engine, with its user-friendly interface compared to other engines, can sometimes pose challenges for those who aren’t familiar with the technology. Games like Lords of the Fallen, Remnant 2, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, and others, particularly open-world games powered by Unreal Engine 5, have experienced difficulties, especially during their initial release. This suggests a trend that may be emerging with games using this engine.

Who should we point the finger at? That’s a complex question that requires thorough investigation. An article exploring this topic might delve into perspectives from all sides. It could be a matter of Unreal Engine having its own limitations, or misuses of advanced technologies such as Nanite, but it seems to be a blend of both. With the continuous introduction of new features in Unreal Engine 5, developers are often finding themselves in need of mastering the technology without first understanding how to effectively utilize it.

Daniel subsequently shared his thoughts, stating that the Unreal Engine was not originally designed for open-world games or terrain generation. If one were to create a game on Unreal using some rocks, that would be fine, but it didn’t support trees effectively for quite some time. However, their Nanite technology has only recently become capable of generating vegetation. This development is particularly relevant for you, Satisfactory.

He continues to elaborate on the stunning videos of trees and the lifelike vegetation created in Unreal Engine 5, yet criticizes its performance. “Though they appear incredibly realistic, like stills from a movie. You’ll need a computer that costs around 20,000 Euro, and only four individuals can explore it at once because even the costly 200,000 Euro computer would struggle to handle it.

Reflecting on this interview after the launch of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, it’s tough to dispute his praise regarding the performance. Regarding KCD2, it performs exceptionally well. Previously, the Cry Engine was criticized for its inadequate optimizations and famously questioned with the jest, “Can it run Crysis?” Now, Unreal Engine has taken its place.

The implications for Witcher 4 and future games using Unreal Engine 5 remain uncertain, but the creators of Unreal Engine aren’t inactive. In a recent blog post, the technical team behind Unreal Engine discussed at length some ongoing issues with game engine stuttering and shaders, which I’ve delved into here. Fingers crossed, these announcements reach developers working on titles such as Halo, Ark 2, and others that intend to launch using Unreal Engine 5.

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2025-02-10 15:13