CD Projekt Red and developers at Unreal Engine have provided a brand-new look at worrying announcements about its Cyberpunk 2077 sequel last month). Its last big news was the announcement trailer that debuted as part of last year's Game Awards, since which CDPR has been quietly hard at work on The Witcher 4.

That became apparent today when, in an extended presentation at the State of Unreal, developers at CDPR and Unreal Engine alike revealed some of the methods they're using to develop The Witcher 4's graphics, and the result looks shockingly real. The new technologies include nanite foliage, chaos physics for cloth and flesh, and character motion matching, all of which the developers explained in detail. These new developments aim to balance performance and fidelity for a realistic experience that still runs smoothly.

CDPR Is Doubling Down On Tech Improvements

The Witcher 4 Will Use Several New Unreal Technologies

During the State of Unreal, developers of The Witcher 4 discussed several new Unreal Engine technologies they're employing to take the sequel's graphics to new heights. The first is a technology called nanite foliage, which encourages developers to render each individual leaf on the branches of a tree. Trees are then put together by combining various pieces, which can be mixed and matched to create a forest of many different shapes and sizes. This technique also helps wind move more realistically through the trees, as the leaves and branches both respond dynamically to gentle breezes and strong gusts.

Up next is chaos physics, an Unreal Engine technology used to render more realistic movement of skin and cloth. Chaos physics can more efficiently render complicated interactions between polygons on the same object, creating a more dynamic illusion of movement while using fewer resources. This is being used in The Witcher 4 to achieve things like the realistic swaying of Ciri's cape while she walks through a marketplace, or the rippling of her horse Kelpie's muscles while she gallops across a mountain road.

Character motion matching is a technique applied to the animation of The Witcher 4. Its primary function is to make two interacting objects move in tandem, with no separation or latency between them. The example used here is of Ciri getting onto Kelpie - the horse realistically shifts her center of gravity when Ciri hoists herself up by the reins, and buckles ever-so-slightly under her weight when she sits in the saddle.

These technologies aren't exclusive to The Witcher 4, either; they're part of Unreal Engine as a whole, and are available to any game developer who wishes to use them. However, their effect on the world of The Witcher 4 is gorgeous, and undeniably impressive - and, developers promise, it'll still run at 60 FPS on consoles.

Witcher 4's Realism Looks Unmatched

Graphics Have Come A Long Way

Simply put, The Witcher 4 looks intimately real, suring even my expectations for CDPR's follow-up to one of the most popular RPGs of all time. I've been replaying The Witcher 3 recently, and as great as it looks, as groundbreaking as its graphics were when it first came out, it clearly shows its age. Compared even to games that came out a few years later, it looks a little blocky and awkward. Graphical standards have come a long way since its release, and The Witcher 4 is living proof of that.

CDPR has set its sights high for the sequel, aiming for an incredible level of graphical realism. It makes for a pretty flashy show, but I can't wait to see how it all really looks - and plays - when The Witcher 4 is finally out.