Artistic Bloq is in Orlando for Epic Video games’ Unreal Fest. Immediately, we obtained the lowdown on all the things that is new in one of the best sport improvement software program within the State of Unreal 2025.
Highlights included the launch of Unreal Engine 5.6. And the replace’s new graphics and animation capabilities had been proven off in spectacular fashion in a very lovely The Witcher 4 tech demo.
The Witcher 4 Unreal Engine 5 Tech Demo 4K | State of Unreal | Unreal Fest Orlando – YouTube
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The Unreal Engine 5.6 tech demo from The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Pink presents a peek on the upcoming sport’s huge fantasy open world. Builders performed reside on stage on a base PS5 at 60 frames per second with raytracing on (see from the 4 minute mark within the video above).
With new protagonist Ciri changing Geralt, they took us by means of lush forest landscapes after which to a busy port market city referred to as Valdrest, exhibiting the breadth of Unreal Engine 5.6’s capabilities, from advanced vegetation to bustling crowd scenes.
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Ciri, the brand new protagonist in The Witcher 4(Picture credit score: Epic Video games)
(Picture credit score: Epic Video games)
(Picture credit score: Epic Video games)
For the previous, Unreal Engine 5.6’s new Nanite foliage permits each leaf to be modelled for unbelievable density. Within the latter, we see enhancements within the responsiveness of character actions, together with advanced chain reactions.
For {the marketplace} scenes, character tech together with MetaHuman instruments and the brand new Unreal animation framework come to the fore, closing the hole in high quality between the sport’s protagonist and NPCs. At one level, we see over 300 animated skeletal mesh brokers on display screen, whereas improved Good Objects additionally improve responsiveness.
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A crowd scene in Valdrest in The Witcher 4 Unreal Engine 5.6 tech demo(Picture credit score: Epic Video games)
Dense vegetation due to UE’s new Nanite foliage(Picture credit score: Epic Video games)
Dense vegetation due to UE’s new Nanite foliage(Picture credit score: Epic Video games)
Epic scenes(Picture credit score: Epic Video games)
However I feel what I wound most spectacular of all – and most illustrative of how a lot sport graphics tech has improved – is the sooner look of Kelpie, a brand new horse. Making use of the brand new multi-character movement matching in Unreal Engine, Ciri and Kelpie seem to maneuver synchronised throughout mounting at any angle and velocity.
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In the meantime, root movement motion to the horse’s motion feels lifelike and grounded and machine-learned deformations create the impression of lifelike muscular tissues transferring and flexing underneath Kelpie’s pores and skin. I may watch all of it day!
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Kelpie, the brand new horse in The Witcher 4(Picture credit score: Epic Video games)
Machine-learned deformations create the impression of lifelike muscular tissues transferring and flexing underneath Kelpie’s pores and skin(Picture credit score: Epic Video games)
Ciri and Kelpie seem to maneuver synchronised throughout mounting at any angle and velocity(Picture credit score: Epic Video games)
Unreal Engine 5.6 is offered to builders as we speak. As for The Witcher 4, there’s nonetheless no information on the discharge date. CD Projekt Pink launched the trailer on the Recreation Awards 2024 in December however we already knew way back to 2022 that it had switched to UE5 for the sport after the problems with the Cyberpunk 2077 launch.
For extra of as we speak’s software program information, see the launch of Photoshop for Android.
