The Witcher 3 for PS5 and Xbox Series X Could Utilize Fan Mods

CD Projekt Red isn't only planning to release a next-gen upgrade for Cyberpunk 2077 later this year, but it's also giving that same treatment to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. At this point in time, we haven't seen much of anything about what the beloved RPG could look like on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. However, based on some rather strange new information that has surfaced, the studio might be looking to upgrade the game with some help from the community.

A prominent modder in the Witcher 3 community by the name of Halk Hogan announced this week that CD Projekt Red had actually reached out to him about helping with the next-gen version of the game. In the past, Halk Hogan has been working on something known as The Witcher 3 HD Reworked Project, which aims to upgrade many of the textures and other graphical elements of the original game. "I think the most important news is that I got an official message from CDPR about cooperation. While it's not certain yet, it's very likely that HDRP will be included in the official next generation update," the modder informed his audience of the project's status. "I will inform you what's next."

So what does this mean? Well, it looks as though CD Projekt Red has opted to tap into the modding community behind The Witcher 3 in order to assist with upgrading the game for PS5 and Xbox Series X. Rather than doing all of this legwork solely on its own, the studio seems to want to work with those who have already been putting in this effort beforehand.

CDPR confirmed that all of this is indeed happening in a separate message given to Kotaku. "In addition to our own development efforts on the upcoming next-gen version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PC, we are also in talks with creators of various mods for the 2015 release of the game," the company said. At this point in time, however, it stressed that no deals have been struck with outside creators to make this a certainty to occur.

All in all, this is definitely a strange thing to see transpire, but if CD Projekt Red is going to adequately pay modders for their potential work on The Witcher 3, I have to imagine that this would be a dream come true for many involved. And from a fan perspective, as long as the next-gen upgrades found in The Witcher 3 later this year are substantial, I imagine that many will be fine with playing the game once again no matter who may have contributed to its creation. As a whole, this seems like a potential win-win scenario for all parties.