CD Projekt Red has announced that it will remake The Witcher in Unreal Engine 5, alongside developer Fool's Theory.

This is one of the five new games the company announced earlier this month, and previously went by the codename Canis Majoris. This will be a true remake, with the the company saying, it will be "rebuilt from the ground up" in Unreal Engine 5, and is early stages of development.

As part of its announcement, the company cautioned: "We want to do this right, so please be patient — it's gonna be a while until we can share more details."

We're thrilled to reveal that, together with @Fools_Theory, we're working on remaking The Witcher using Unreal Engine 5 (codename: Canis Majoris)!

We want to do this right, so please be patient — it's gonna be a while until we can share more details.
⚔️ https://t.co/6VCAokPgXs pic.twitter.com/ERFOXQrUEP

— The Witcher (@witchergame) October 26, 2022

“The Witcher is where it all started for us, for CD Projekt Red. It was the first game we made, ever, and it was a big moment for us then. Going back to this place and remaking the game for the next generation of gamers to experience it feels just as big, if not bigger,” said Adam Badowski, Head of Studio, CD Projekt Red in an annoucement post.

“Collaborating with Fool’s Theory on the project is just as exciting, as some of the people there have been previously involved in The Witcher games. They know the source material well, they know how much gamers have been looking forward to seeing the remake happen, and they know how to make incredible and ambitious games. And although it will take some time before we’re ready to share more about and from the game, I know it’ll be worth the wait.”

Canis Majoris was one of the more intriguing announcements in CD Projekt's upcoming slate, marking the first time the developer will work with a third-party developer. Fans had been very intrigued to find out which developer that was, but we hadn't seen Fool's Theory as a guess before now.

Set up in 2015 and described as "a collective of AAA veterans", the company is a Polish studio that has previously contributed to Baldur’s Gate III, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice and Outriders, among other projects. Fool's Theory is also working on a project codenamed Vitriol, a new IP made in collaboration with 11-Bit Studios (Frostpunk, This War of Mine).

Released in 2007, The Witcher was CD Projekt Red's debut game and, while less refined than its successors, set out a huge amount of the lore, tone, and systems that would define the now-landmark RPG series. At the time, we gave it an 8.5 review, saying it was "definitely a game you’ll remember well over the years." If you're wondering why a remake was announced today, that's because it's the 15th anniversary of the original release.

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

The Batman's Gotham City Police Department show is apparently still in development as Warner Bros. Discovery has reportedly split it and an Arkham Asylum show into two separate productions.

As reported by Variety, a source familiar with the matter said the original idea for a Jim Gordon-focused GCPD prequel series - which later became became a 'haunted house' story about Arkham Asylum - has now been salvaged.

The shows were previously thought to be the same project, as The Batman director Matt Reeves said himself that the original GCPD idea had become something else, rather than saying that a new show had begun development alongside it.

"The GCDP thing, that story has story has kind of evolved," he said in March. "We’ve actually now [moved] more into the realm of exactly what would happen in the world of Arkham."

Joe Barton, who became the GCPD series' showrunner in January last year but has since also left, also told Variety that his idea had been scrapped. "I think it would have been really great and that’s kind of why I feel gutted about it, just because I know we would have made a great show," he said. Whether the in-development new version of the show will retain any of those original ideas is unknown.

Warner Bros. Discovery is yet to announce anything official, but adding a third The Batman spin-off show to go alongside the Arkham Asylum series and another about Colin Farrell's The Penguin would come at a time of severe cuts at the company where several other films and TV shows are being cancelled.

Batgirl is perhaps the headlining cancellation after it was cut by Warner Bros. Discovery back in August, but it was just the first in a long line of scrapped projects including Strange Adventures and The Wonder Twins. The move was highly controversial, with an anonymous Batgirl actor calling Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav an "imbecile".

The Batman 2 did survive the cuts, however, and the world created by Reeves is a current standout as the director is also reportedly in talks with other directors and writers to create films based on Batman villains including Scarecrow, Clayface, and Professor Pyg.

In our 10/10 review of the original, IGN said: "Matt Reeves’ violent, thrilling, darkly beautiful take on The Batman more than justifies its place in the franchise’s canon."

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Team Ninja has announced that upcoming Soulslike, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will be released on March 3, 2023.

The developer also revealed it will receive three DLC packs that add new demons, scenarios, stages, weapon times, and more to the action game set in a darker version of China's Three Kingdom period. These will be available in a Season Pass that comes in the Digital Deluxe version of Wo Long, which also includes a digital artbook and digital mini soundtrack.

A limited edition physical version will also be available at launch, containing the and a steelbook cover, though no Season Pass.

Lots of smaller DLC packs are also available for preordering or purchasing the game in different ways. Buying either version by March 16 grants the Baihu Armour, buying the Season Pass grants the Qinglong Armour, preordering digitally grants the Zhuque Armour, and buying the steelbook version grants the Crown of Zhurong and Crown of Gonggong. It's unclear if these items will be available through other methods.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is promised to be just as challenging as other Souls game and, specifically, Team Ninja's two Nioh games. Producer Fumihiko Yasuda previously told IGN that "Wo Long is more massive in scale compared to our previous games set in Japan, which allowed us to show a more severe and dark world.

"The same can be said for the difficulty. There’s no doubt this will be an extremely challenging and demanding game, but we’ve come up with new ways to approach that difficulty."

In our preview of the game, IGN said: "While Wo Long is for sure a difficult masocore title, you'll find yourself enjoying plenty of exciting, high-speed, Chinese martial arts combat as you try again and again."

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Sony is building a new development studio to work with Naughty Dog on a major PlayStation game.

As spotted by VGC, a job listing shows the new team is being created in collaboration with PlayStation Studios Visual Arts, a developer that previously assisted with PlayStation's motion capture, cinematics, animation, and more across several franchises including Uncharted and The Last of Us. This new developer will then work with Naughty Dog to create a PlayStation game.

"This high visibility project is being developed in collaboration with Naughty Dog," the job listing reads. "Though currently unannounced, we have a clear vision and plan to release. Using our existing expertise and premier talent, we will guarantee a high visual quality bar for the game and a compelling experience for our players."

Though Sony doesn't say explicitly that the new game will be a AAA production, it does request that the candidate is "proficient in all aspects of AAA game production and management" and has published at least two AAA games previously.

Though nothing is confirmed, hints towards PSS Visual Arts becoming a developer of its own projects (instead of supporting others) have appeared throughout the last few years. One job listing from 2020 showed the company was hiring for a 3rd person action/adventure game with melee and ranged combat.

This description would appear to match an Uncharted game, tying in nicely with the Naughty Dog collaboration, and the studio's creative director Shaun Escayg said earlier this year that it's a world "we want to see more of".

Again, nothing is official, so we'll just need to wait for Sony to make an official announcement regarding the new studio and its game.

Uncharted has been dormant since 2017's The Lost Legacy, which was a DLC turned spin-off of the last mainline release, 2016's Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, which wrapped up the story of protagonist Nathan Drake.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Microsoft reportedly passed on the chance to make Genshin Impact an Xbox console exclusive, something the company regretted after the game blew up.

As reported by Reuters, sources familiar with the matter said Microsoft met with Chinese developer miHoYo early in Genshin Impact's development but failed to reach an exclusivity deal. Sony would later secure the deal for itself, making the game a PlayStation console exclusive.

"Picking up Genshin Impact made Sony a lot of money," one source said, adding that missing the opportunity is the driving force behind Microsoft's current pursuit of independent Chinese developers.

The company is reportedly building a team specifically to scout out Chinese games and developers with high potential in an attempt to emulate the same move made by Sony in 2017 with its China Hero Project, an initiative to help Chinese developers publish games on PlayStation.

While Microsoft has been doing so already in a smaller capacity for years, Genshin Impact reportedly added "a sense of urgency" according to Reuters' sources. It was one of 2020's biggest games, with its action RPG gameplay and anime-inspired open world setting drawing in millions of fans.

It's also seen a ton of updates since it first launched, adding new characters, quests, items, and more, and has even seen crossovers with other franchises including Horizon: Zero Dawn. As with every new version stream, three new codes for Genshin Impact's premium currency and other rewards were released too.

In our 9/10 review, IGN said: "An incredible open-world and addictive exploration make Genshin Impact anime-zing adventure."

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Microsoft reportedly passed on the chance to make Genshin Impact an Xbox console exclusive, something the company regretted after the game blew up.

As reported by Reuters, sources familiar with the matter said Microsoft met with Chinese developer miHoYo early in Genshin Impact's development but failed to reach an exclusivity deal. Sony would later secure the deal for itself, making the game a PlayStation console exclusive.

"Picking up Genshin Impact made Sony a lot of money," one source said, adding that missing the opportunity is the driving force behind Microsoft's current pursuit of independent Chinese developers.

The company is reportedly building a team specifically to scout out Chinese games and developers with high potential in an attempt to emulate the same move made by Sony in 2017 with its China Hero Project, an initiative to help Chinese developers publish games on PlayStation.

While Microsoft has been doing so already in a smaller capacity for years, Genshin Impact reportedly added "a sense of urgency" according to Reuters' sources. It was one of 2020's biggest games, with its action RPG gameplay and anime-inspired open world setting drawing in millions of fans.

It's also seen a ton of updates since it first launched, adding new characters, quests, items, and more, and has even seen crossovers with other franchises including Horizon: Zero Dawn. As with every new version stream, three new codes for Genshin Impact's premium currency and other rewards were released too.

In our 9/10 review, IGN said: "An incredible open-world and addictive exploration make Genshin Impact anime-zing adventure."

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

The Simpsons' annual Treehouse of Horror compilation is right around the corner, and it features a Death Note parody from the studio that worked on the original anime.

A clip from the upcoming tribute has been making the rounds on Twitter, showing Lisa Simpson as the recipient of the mysterious but mighty "Death Tome." The segment is animated by DR Movie, a South Korean studio that helped out on Death Note, and features tons of Easter eggs, including anime versions of Disco Stu and twins Sherri and Terri.

The first clip from ‘The Simpsons’ parody of ‘DEATH NOTE’ has been released.

It is animated by DR Movie who also worked on the original series. pic.twitter.com/mmM7IbXc6K

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 25, 2022

Three images from The Simpsons parody of Death Note have also been released, spotlighting more Springfield favorites from the animated sitcom. One frame from the Treehouse of Horror special shows Disco Stu and a potential sighting of anime Ned Flanders in the background while another image offers a first look at Homer and Marge in the same art style.

First look at Lisa, Marge, Homer and Bart in ‘The Simpsons’ parody of ‘DEATH NOTE’. pic.twitter.com/9b0AMHNG9L

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 25, 2022

Simpsons writer Carolyn Omine has promised to share more Easter Eggs from the Death Note segment on Twitter during the premiere of The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror XXXIII Halloween special on October 30. The annual series will comprise three parts in total, with two other sections offering animated takes on The Babadook and Westworld.

The Treehouse of Horror specials have been airing since 1990, and there's been plenty of notable entries over the years but none have quite matched up to the wit and brilliance of Treehouse of Horror V, which kicked off with an inspired spoof of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. That installment earned a coveted spot in IGN's Top 34 Best Simpsons Episodes.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

The Simpsons' annual Treehouse of Horror compilation is right around the corner, and it features a Death Note parody from the studio that worked on the original anime.

A clip from the upcoming tribute has been making the rounds on Twitter, showing Lisa Simpson as the recipient of the mysterious but mighty "Death Tome." The segment is animated by DR Movie, a South Korean studio that helped out on Death Note, and features tons of Easter eggs, including anime versions of Disco Stu and twins Sherri and Terri.

The first clip from ‘The Simpsons’ parody of ‘DEATH NOTE’ has been released.

It is animated by DR Movie who also worked on the original series. pic.twitter.com/mmM7IbXc6K

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 25, 2022

Three images from The Simpsons parody of Death Note have also been released, spotlighting more Springfield favorites from the animated sitcom. One frame from the Treehouse of Horror special shows Disco Stu and a potential sighting of anime Ned Flanders in the background while another image offers a first look at Homer and Marge in the same art style.

First look at Lisa, Marge, Homer and Bart in ‘The Simpsons’ parody of ‘DEATH NOTE’. pic.twitter.com/9b0AMHNG9L

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 25, 2022

Simpsons writer Carolyn Omine has promised to share more Easter Eggs from the Death Note segment on Twitter during the premiere of The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror XXXIII Halloween special on October 30. The annual series will comprise three parts in total, with two other sections offering animated takes on The Babadook and Westworld.

The Treehouse of Horror specials have been airing since 1990, and there's been plenty of notable entries over the years but none have quite matched up to the wit and brilliance of Treehouse of Horror V, which kicked off with an inspired spoof of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. That installment earned a coveted spot in IGN's Top 34 Best Simpsons Episodes.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

While it will be some time before we see how James Gunn and Peter Safran will change the future of DC Studios, it has been said that Joker: Folie à Deux will remain outside of any larger connected universe that the two new co-CEOs will be leading.

As reported by Variety, Gunn and Safran will begin work as co-CEOs of DC Studios on November 1 and will be presented with not only a future that they will be in charge of crafting, but also a bevy of projects that have already been in the works prior to the megaton announcement of their new roles.

One of those projects is Joker: Folie à Deux, the sequel to 2019's Joker that will be released in theaters on October 4, 2024, and will star Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga. According to the report, this film will "exist outside of any cinematic universe that Gunn and Safran will be building out."

This shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, as Joker director Todd Phillips has previously stated that his film was not "really connected to that [DC Movie] Universe. And it was really intentionally not." He was speaking about the first film as a single movie before it was known a sequel was coming, but the decision to keep them separate appears to still stand.

It's also yet unclear if the sequel to Matt Reeves' The Batman and its wider universe that includes announced spin-offs like one starring The Penguin and one focused on Arkham Asylum will fall under Gunn and Safran or elsewhere. Speaking of the sequel, it is not likely to arrive until 2025 at the earliest as a script has yet to be turned in by the Reeves.

Besides these two projects, however, Gunn and Safran will be leading everything new coming from the studio. This also appears to include a "Chuck Roven-produced Superman sequel currently soliciting pitches from writers." This will undoubtedly be one of DC's closest-watched projects, especially after Henry Cavill confirmed he will be returning as Superman in the future.

As co-CEOs, Gunn will focus on the creative side of DC Studios and Safran will handle the business and production side. Gunn will continue to direct projects, exclusively for DC, and Safran will keep on producing. This move was just another step towards fulfilling Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav's idea of following a ten-year plan similar to what Disney and Marvel have done with Kevin Feige in the lead.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

While it will be some time before we see how James Gunn and Peter Safran will change the future of DC Studios, it has been said that Joker: Folie à Deux will remain outside of any larger connected universe that the two new co-CEOs will be leading.

As reported by Variety, Gunn and Safran will begin work as co-CEOs of DC Studios on November 1 and will be presented with not only a future that they will be in charge of crafting, but also a bevy of projects that have already been in the works prior to the megaton announcement of their new roles.

One of those projects is Joker: Folie à Deux, the sequel to 2019's Joker that will be released in theaters on October 4, 2024, and will star Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga. According to the report, this film will "exist outside of any cinematic universe that Gunn and Safran will be building out."

This shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, as Joker director Todd Phillips has previously stated that his film was not "really connected to that [DC Movie] Universe. And it was really intentionally not." He was speaking about the first film as a single movie before it was known a sequel was coming, but the decision to keep them separate appears to still stand.

It's also yet unclear if the sequel to Matt Reeves' The Batman and its wider universe that includes announced spin-offs like one starring The Penguin and one focused on Arkham Asylum will fall under Gunn and Safran or elsewhere. Speaking of the sequel, it is not likely to arrive until 2025 at the earliest as a script has yet to be turned in by the Reeves.

Besides these two projects, however, Gunn and Safran will be leading everything new coming from the studio. This also appears to include a "Chuck Roven-produced Superman sequel currently soliciting pitches from writers." This will undoubtedly be one of DC's closest-watched projects, especially after Henry Cavill confirmed he will be returning as Superman in the future.

As co-CEOs, Gunn will focus on the creative side of DC Studios and Safran will handle the business and production side. Gunn will continue to direct projects, exclusively for DC, and Safran will keep on producing. This move was just another step towards fulfilling Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav's idea of following a ten-year plan similar to what Disney and Marvel have done with Kevin Feige in the lead.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.