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Survival climber Cairn ascends to PS5 November 5

Survival climber Cairn ascends to PS5 November 5

Survival climber Cairn ascends to PS5 November 5 https://ift.tt/al4LxbH

We’re happy to confirm that survival-climber Cairn will release on PS5 November, 5 2025. You can attempt your first ascent with Aava today, as a demo is available now on PS5! Go and hone your climbing skills on the Tenzen mountain ridge before the ascent of unforgiving Mount Kami.

It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves

A cairn is a stack of stones piled up to mark a trail or as a memorial. It’s a very good representation of the idea “I made it this far”.

In Cairn, our survival climbing game, you will need determination and persistence to “make it this far”. When we decided to make a video game about alpinism, we were fascinated by the dedication and resolve shown by climbers. They are ready to risk everything because of how extraordinary it makes them feel: extremely satisfied and free. And that’s the emotion we wanted to replicate and make you feel, as a player. 


We spent 3 years of research and development to create our own way to climb. It’s completely unique and new. You’ve climbed already in video games, but most games use climbing as a traversal mechanic, to reach a different location. In Cairn, climbing is the actual challenge, it’s where you fail or succeed. It’s what will make your hands sweat. 

The pillars of our climbing gameplay are what make it unique: a simple yet deep climbing control, and total freedom to climb anywhere.

Easy to learn, hard to ma…ouch! my finger!

First, it is simple to climb. We made a deep simulation gameplay while keeping simple inputs. In Cairn you control each hand and feet individually, but with just the left stick and one button to grab the wall. Ninety percent of the inputs you make are just moving the left stick and pressing Square. Feels simple right? So does Gran Turismo when you steer and accelerate with the same two inputs, but yet you’ll be practicing for hours to improve your lap time by 3 seconds. In Cairn the challenge is not about the controls of the limbs, it’s about placing them tactically, and keeping your character in balance. 

We worked on an advanced movement system that makes your character move like a climber according to what you aim for with your hand or foot. The simulation calculates the body mechanic, but also the efforts, and your character gets tired and out of breath in consequence.  

The result is a very strong immersion: you only look at your character, listen to their breathing, feel their limbs shaking directly on your hands with the precise Dualsense controller vibrations. There is no UI feedback. You learn to read the exhaustion status of the climber. By practicing, you know what’s an impossible move, a bold one and a safe one. 

What’s great with climbing is that the goal is pretty clear: reach the next ledge, the next summit. You see your objective, you just have to reach it. And failing is pretty obvious too: you fall. This helps you focus on what’s important: your body, your movements, your stamina. And eventually, when you reach that ledge, relief and joy!

Route-finding is speaking the mountain’s language

The second revolution in Cairn is the freedom to climb everywhere. It’s not a path or a branching of paths designed by level designers, it’s a whole mountain and you can slip your hand into every crack you see. 

The mountain was built rock by rock by our design team (whom I thank dearly). And that brings incomparable feelings of freedom. Even our level designers don’t know where you’ll climb, what route you will choose. 

During our playtests, we noticed something quite interesting: video game players usually walked towards the wall and started climbing. While actual rock climbers looked at the wall before climbing, noticed cracks, holds, hoverhangs, jugs in the rock, and decided on a route. Planning ahead, adapting to the wall, pausing to breathe and rest, decrypting the rock… it’s part of the fun in Cairn. Every second you play, you’re facing a choice. 


Topping out

Cairn is not only a climbing simulation. It’s an immersion into a beautifully stylized nature, it’s hearing a storm rumbling, alone in the mountain, it’s surviving hunger, cold, thirst and pain. It’s about Aava’s journey as she attempts to reach the summit, and the people and places she will find on the way. It’s about her determination and sacrifices, her search for freedom. But we’ll let you know more about all these aspects of the game soon…

Pragmata coming to PS5 2026, new gameplay revealed

Pragmata coming to PS5 2026, new gameplay revealed

Pragmata coming to PS5 2026, new gameplay revealed https://ift.tt/Yw1ZWix

Hi! I’m Cho Yonghee and I’m the director on Capcom’s newest IP— Pragmata. To everyone who has been waiting so patiently for an update, and to those of you joining us today for the first time, it’s my great pleasure to be here with you.

It’s been two years since we last talked about the game back in June 2023 and we are super excited to finally share a bit of what we’ve been working on. But first, if you haven’t seen the trailer yet, please watch that first. I’ll wait.

Pragmata coming to PS5 2026, new gameplay revealed

Pragmata is an all-new science fiction adventure with its own unique twist of action and strategy. The trailer you just saw features our two main characters, as well as a glimpse of our sci-fi inspired visuals and the cold, dark stretch of the moon where the game takes place. There’s even a sneak peak of action gameplay in there for you.

Our two protagonists, Hugh and Diana, happen upon one another and must work together to defeat the lunar station AI and return to Earth.

Both have their own abilities, and you’ll need to control them both—at the same time—to overcome the many obstacles you’ll face. This two-in-one approach, where Hacking is key to your success, is our own unique take on combat that you’ll only find here—in Pragmata. Stay tuned for more details, as we will delve deeper into the combat experience in the near future!

And as for our space-faring friend Hugh, and his new android companion Diana, we can’t wait to talk about them and their adventure as well.

Everyone here on the development team is working hard to make Pragmata the PS5 game you’ve all been waiting for in 2026.

Thank you for your amazing support!

Lumines Arise bursts onto PlayStation 5 this Fall

Lumines Arise bursts onto PlayStation 5 this Fall

Lumines Arise bursts onto PlayStation 5 this Fall https://ift.tt/EBZO6J0

Life is rhythmic. It has a pulse. We, as living beings, experience highs and lows. Sometimes together, other times alone. Games have the power to tap directly into that rhythm, stimulating all your senses to put you into a flow state. Everything around you disappears, and you fall into the game’s world. When this happens, it’s a magical feeling that can stir powerful emotions within you.

You’re going to feel that in spades with Lumines Arise, a brand-new entry in the critically acclaimed series which began on the PlayStation Portable 20 years ago (available as Lumines Remastered on PS4). Lumines is back, and to everyone who’s been a fan since the original, I hope you’re excited about this new chapter built from the ground up to push the synergy of audio, visuals, and gameplay beyond any previous title in the franchise.

Embark on a journey paved with sound and light

Lumines Arise on PlayStation 5 with optional PS VR2 compatibility is more than just an ordinary puzzle game—our aim is to hit you right in the feels. You emerge from the darkness in the first stage (a glimpse of which you saw in today’s announcement trailer), and every stop on the over 30-stage journey evokes a different and complex emotional response. From lush jungles, oceans teeming with life, and snakes preparing to strike, to more electronic frontiers like the bustling streets of Tokyo and the endless expanse of outer space. All with visual flourishes to incite synesthesia.

Simple mechanic, surprising depth

It all starts with a seemingly simple puzzle mechanic. If you’ve never played a Lumines game before, here’s how it works: rotate and place a variety of 2×2 blocks made up of one or two colors, forming squares of a single color/pattern. The Timeline sweeps across the playfield to the beat of the thumping soundtrack, erasing completed squares in its path. That gives you a light time pressure to form squares and build on them, making bigger and bigger squares to clear combos and score even more points.

You race to create combos, ever mindful of the constant movement of the Timeline, feeling the vibration of the DualSense controller while the music radiates between your ears and the vibrant, lively background draws you in. That’s when you enter a flow state, and the world around you vanishes. Your pulse quickens as your breath holds still.

Introducing Burst

Now, to amp things up! We’re introducing a brand-new feature to Lumines’ core gameplay: Burst. As you play, you charge up a gauge, shown at the top of the Timeline. When ready, tap a trigger button to activate Burst and lock a formed square to the playfield. Build it as large as you can before time runs out. Watch screen-clearing combos rack up massive points when Burst is complete and the Timeline starts clearing that color again. Clear enough squares to meet the stage’s quota, and you’ll zoom to the next environment.

Avatars are making a comeback, too. Customize your own from the largest catalog of designs in the series ever, and we’re adding more as we go, so stay tuned for updates. It’s the perfect way to express yourself and your personality when setting off on your in-game journey.

Music to your ears… And eyes

In the announcement trailer, you got a taste of Lumines Arise’s phenomenal new soundtrack. If you like that, check out the single of “Only Human” on Bandcamp (coming to other streaming services soon) for a closer listen. Arise features brand-new music composed by Hydelic, who was also responsible for Tetris Effect: Connected’s award-winning score. And just as with Connected, everything you do in-game impacts the soundscape.

More to come in the future

Stay tuned for information about a demo coming later this Summer that you might even want to play with friends. 

Now that you’ve seen and know more about Lumines Arise, I hope you’ll agree that this is not just an ordinary puzzle game. It’s an experience of sound and light that will move you like no other. We’ll have plenty more to share as the launch date of Lumines Arise approaches in the Fall.

Rematch: hands-on report

Rematch: hands-on report

Rematch: hands-on report https://ift.tt/Yw1ZWix

“Football is a relatively simple game. It’s one of the reasons it’s such a beautiful sport. But within that there’s a lot of depth to be found.”

With these words, spoken by Pierre Tarno, CEO of Sloclap and Rematch’s creative director, it’s easy to see the ethos behind the studio’s spectacular new football game, even before I boot up the final beta.

At first glance Rematch appears to be an arcade styled kickabout, sprinting past the typically super realistic examples of the genre. It’s fast, doesn’t require you to learn particularly complex controls, and pairs down the pitch to 3v3, 4v4 and 5v5 matches. Even the rules are more akin to ‘jumpers for goalposts’ fun, with no fixed positions, fouls, offsides, or breaks except for after goal replays. 

And yet, nestled within Rematch’s action-packed gloss is a depth that football fans will not only appreciate, but keep coming back to. 

Rematch’s grass roots

“I liked the idea of performing a body kick in third-person,” explains Pierre, when asked about Rematch’s origins. “I think body actions are some of the most beautiful and interesting actions in football, because that’s when the ball circulates the fastest. After that notion, we dug deeper to establish the experience we wanted for the game: to feel like an amazing player, feel part of a team and feel the pressure.”

All three of those things were definitely present during my time with the beta. Getting stuck into the tutorial and practice mode, the controls seemed easy enough, with the expected sprint, block and slide tackle buttons, but beyond that I encountered some interesting differences to other football titles. There’s no dedicated cross button, so the unusual R2 shoot config is also used for whipping the ball into the box. Similarly, the square button’s passes aren’t automatically guided, meaning you have to carefully aim using the left analog stick.

With a combination of button presses it’s easy to perform skilful moves like a rainbow kick, but many of your more dazzling shots specifically depend on your player’s inertia, position, and ball placement, resulting in amazing volleys and even more impressive goals. With one important nuance to factor in – your shots are aimed via an on-screen crosshair, which is determined by the right analog stick’s camera control. So simply pressing R2 won’t get the job done. Similar to passing, you need to be more discerning with your aim, otherwise you’ll be slamming the ball off the invisible walls that surround the pitch instead of scoring screamers.

Rematch: hands-on report

Far from simple soccer 

All of these subtleties and freedoms are what give Rematch its depth. With no player stats, the onus is entirely on you to bring the goods, and that pressure to perform within a team is very, very real. Using the camera to aim shots while also utilising after-touch for curving the ball (Rematch calls it a Magus Shot, suggesting Sloclap are fans of the sports manga Blue Lock) is a skill requiring practice, especially within the manic environment of a match.

I found the 4v4 and 5v5 games easier to get to grips with the intensity of Rematch, due to how quickly mistakes can be punished in a 3v3. Given the naturally fun chaos of players not having to stay in any one position, the ever-changing environment was easier to learn with more players, although it required a greater awareness of my positioning and tactics. The on-screen radar was essential to understanding the flow of the match and ensuring I worked with my teammates, as everyone chasing the ball only led to easy goals for the opposition.

With no single-player mode, Sloclap intends to add bots later into development to let you learn the ropes in something a bit closer to a match without the human pressure. But for now it’s all about playing live and gaining experience, both in-game and figuratively.

Team tips

This learning curve is very much an intentional part of Rematch’s design. “Incentivising team play was the biggest objective and challenge,” says Pierre. “So you’re more vulnerable when you’re in possession, and defenders can quickly hone in on you, which creates pressure to pass. Passing quickly to teammates is the best way to put pressure on your opponents.

“Checking your radar to know where other players are is also important. You see that with the best players in real life football, like Messi – they’re looking around them all the time before they receive the ball, developing their vision and positioning. That’s vital in Rematch.”

It’s this focus on dynamics and tactics which makes Rematch so rewarding. Sure, it’s not as easy as some of the highly skilled players make it look, but at its athletic heart Sloclap hasn’t forgotten that all we want to do is score incredible goals that make us run around our living room with our t-shirts pulled over our faces.

Appropriately, Benjamin Pavard’s classic goal for France against Argentina in the 2018 FIFA World Cup was a big touchstone for Rematch. “It was one of the most amazing body kicks ever,” says Pierre. Look it up, it’s hard to disagree – and those are the sorts of goals you’ll be scoring when Rematch laces up its boots for its big June 19 match on PlayStation 5. 

Gran Turismo World Series 2025 Round 1 takes place in London this Saturday

Gran Turismo World Series 2025 Round 1 takes place in London this Saturday

Gran Turismo World Series 2025 Round 1 takes place in London this Saturday https://ift.tt/ucR0M4F

The Gran Turismo World Series racing action starts in earnest this weekend when 24 of the world’s fastest Gran Turismo racers gather at the famous BBC studios at Television Centre in West London for Round 1 of the 2025 season. If you haven’t got a ticket to see all the drama unfold in person, don’t worry. You can watch all the action live in Gran Turismo 7 and on https://www.gran-turismo.com/world/live/

Selected from the Online Qualifiers in April and May, the 12 best Manufacturers Cup competitors from the Asia-Oceania Region fly into the UK capital, with the action set to start at 16:00 British Summer Time (15:00 UTC) on Saturday, 7 June. The Manufacturers Cup is a team competition with the competitors from the EMEA Region taking the wheel for Round 2 in Berlin on 20 September before the Americas drivers in Round 3 in Los Angeles on 8 November. All three drivers compete together at the World Finals in Fukuoka, Japan on 20 and 21 December.

Broadcast Schedule – June 7, 2025

Manufacturers Cup / Nations Cup

New York (EDT)

  • Manufacturers Cup 11:00
  • Nations Cup 14:00

Los Angeles (PDT)

  • Manufacturers Cup 08:00
  • Nations Cup 11:00

Sao Paulo (BRT)

  • Manufactures Cup 12:00
  • Nations Cup 15:00

London (BST)

  • Manufacturers Cup 16:00
  • Nations Cup 19:00

Madrid (CEST)

  • Manufacturers Cup 17:00
  • Nations Cup 20:00

Tokyo (JST)

  • Manufacturers Cup 00:00
  • Nations Cup 03:00

Beijing (CST)

  • Manufacturers Cup 23:00
  • Nations Cup 02:00

Sydney (AEST)

  • Manufacturers Cup 01:00
  • Nations Cup 04:00

In the Nations Cup, the top three drivers from the 2024 season – World Champion Takuma Miyazono (JPN), Kylian Drumont (FRA) and Jose Serrano (ESP) – won automatic qualification for the 2025 edition. They will be joined in London by established stars such as former champions Valerio Gallo (ITA) and Pol Urra (ESP) with 18-year-old Samuel Cardinal from Canada the only rookie in the 12-man field. The Nations Cup action starts at 19:00 local time (18:00 UTC).

Manufacturers Cup – Round 1 London Drivers

BMW – S. Suzuki (JPN) AMG – K. Sasaki (JPN) Lamborghini – Y.Goto (JPN) Lexus – K. Kawakami (JPN)
Porsche – S. Sato (JPN) Toyota – K. Morimoto (JPN) Nissan – H. Okumoto (JPN) Mazda – R. Kokubun (JPN)
Ferrari – J. Hashima (JPN) McLaren – T. Kamada (JPN) Honda – R. Tsujimura (JPN) Subaru – T. Miyazono (JPN)

Nations Cup – Round 1 London Drivers

France – K. Drumont(EMEA) Spain – J. Serrano(EMEA) Italy – V. Gallo (EMEA) Spain – P. Urra(EMEA)
France – T. Labouteley(EMEA) Netherlands – K. De Bruin(EMEA) Brazil – A. Carrazza (Central & South America) Chile – A. Inostroza(Central & South America)
Canada – S. Cardinal(North Amerca) Japan – T. Miyazono(Asia) Japan – T. Sasaki (Asia) Australia – G Barbara(Oceania)

As ever, a round of the Gran Turismo World Series brings several in-game benefits featured on the World Map in GT7. Correctly predicting the winners will win you a lot of in-game Credits. Watch the Nations Cup live stream and you could pick up an Aston Martin Valkyrie with the winning country’s livery, while watching the Manufacturers Cup means you’ll be gifted a car with the winning team’s livery. *

Players can also get involved by taking part in a special time trial inspired by the Manufacturers Cup Qualifying Session using a Gr.3 car on the Tokyo Expressway – South Counterclockwise, while a new Daily Race features the same combination.

And remember to add all the Gran Turismo World Series 2025 live events to your calendar:

Round 1 – London, UK | Saturday, 7 June
Round 2 – Berlin, Germany | Saturday, 20 September
Round 3 – Los Angeles, USA | Saturday, 8 November
World Finals – Fukuoka, Japan | Saturday, 20 and Sunday, 21 December

Full details of the Gran Turismo World Series 2025 links to buying tickets can be found on https://www.gran-turismo.com/world/gt7/championships/2025/

*Entry limit to one per account for PlayStation Network. Once an entry has been submitted it cannot be withdrawn or changed. See the links below for more information. 

Predict the Winners – https://www.gran-turismo.com/gb/news/00_5536865.html
Viewers Gift – https://www.gran-turismo.com/gb/news/00_1714233.html
Lap Time Challenge – https://www.gran-turismo.com/gb/gt7/news/00_5349185.html 

PlayStation Store: May 2025’s top downloads

PlayStation Store: May 2025’s top downloads

PlayStation Store: May 2025’s top downloads https://ift.tt/BPEydGk

It’s time to see which PS5, PS4, PS VR2, and free-to-play games topped last month’s download charts. May came and went at lightning speeds as Forza Horizon 5 won the US and EU PS5 charts, and Elden Ring Nightreign had a strong showing, releasing just at the end of the month. The PS4 charts saw a strong rise in the resistance as Star Wars Battlefront II dominated, while Ghosts of Tabor and Alien: Rogue Incursion VR became PS VR2 front runners.

Check out the full listings below. What titles are you playing this month?

PS5 Games

US/Canada EU
Forza Horizon 5 Forza Horizon 5
ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 EA SPORTS FC 25
DOOM: The Dark Ages Grand Theft Auto V
Grand Theft Auto V ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered F1 25
Minecraft Minecraft
MLB The Show 25 The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 DOOM: The Dark Ages
EA SPORTS FC 25 RoadCraft
NBA 2K25 Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
EA SPORTS Madden NFL 25 The Precinct
HELLDIVERS 2 Split Fiction
Split Fiction It Takes Two
RoadCraft Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
The Last of Us Part II Remastered The Last of Us Part II Remastered
Phasmophobia Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
The Precinct Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Mortal Kombat 1 Cyberpunk 2077
Assassin’s Creed Shadows The Crew Motorfest

*Naming of products may differ between regions
*Upgrades not included

PS4 Games

US/Canada EU
STAR WARS Battlefront II STAR WARS Battlefront II
Red Dead Redemption 2 Red Dead Redemption 2
Minecraft EA SPORTS FC 25
The Last of Us Remastered The Last of Us Remastered
Grand Theft Auto V Minecraft
Mortal Kombat X Grand Theft Auto V
Capcom Fighting Collection 2 A Way Out
Need for Speed Heat Batman: Arkham Knight
Batman: Arkham Knight Need for Speed Heat
A Way Out Unravel Two
Gang Beasts The Forest
Middle-earth: Shadow of War Mortal Kombat X
Stardew Valley Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Bully Gang Beasts
Call of Duty: Black Ops III Middle-earth: Shadow of War
The Forest Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Mafia III: Definitive Edition Watch Dogs 2
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny Battlefield V
Bloodborne Mafia III: Definitive Edition
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Tekken 7

*Naming of products may differ between regions 

PS VR2 Games*

US/Canada EU
Ghosts of Tabor Alien: Rogue Incursion VR
Alien: Rogue Incursion VR Ghosts of Tabor
Beat Saber Jurassic World Aftermath Collection
Jurassic World Aftermath Collection Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition
Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition Metro Awakening
Swordsman VR Beat Saber
Among Us 3D: VR Swordsman VR
Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge – Enhanced Edition Horizon Call of the Mountain
Metro Awakening Flight Simulator Delivery 2025 VR
Pavlov Among Us 3D: VR

*PlayStation Store purchases only. Game upgrades or games bundled with hardware not included

Free to Play (PS5 + PS4)

US/Canada EU
Fortnite Fortnite
FragPunk Call of Duty: Warzone
Splitgate 2 Roblox
Roblox FragPunk
Call of Duty: Warzone Palia
Marvel Rivals Rocket League
Palia Splitgate 2
Rocket League eFootball
Apex Legends Asphalt Legends Unite
Asphalt Legends Unite Stumble Guys
The Witcher 4 Unreal Engine 5 Tech Demo on PS5 revealed

The Witcher 4 Unreal Engine 5 Tech Demo on PS5 revealed

The Witcher 4 Unreal Engine 5 Tech Demo on PS5 revealed https://ift.tt/Yw1ZWix

We at CD Projekt Red are collaborating with Epic Games to push open-world game design further than ever before, and we wanted to share our progress with the gaming community through The Witcher 4 Unreal Engine 5 Tech Demo — a showcase of how we’re bringing more life, depth, and reactivity to the Continent than ever before.

This isn’t gameplay of The Witcher 4, but we still wanted to incorporate CD Projekt Red’s signature storytelling into the tech demo, showing our new protagonist Ciri in the midst of a dangerous monster contract. We also reveal the never-before-seen region of Kovir, a rugged land where cities are built on trade and keep a careful distance from the military conflicts that plague the rest of the north.

But the focus of this tech demo is just that — tech — and we were proud to show it live on stage, running at 60 frames per second on a PlayStation 5. The tools highlighted won’t just power The Witcher 4, but will also be shared with the wider video game development community through Unreal Engine 5. The tech we’re creating with Epic will benefit the entire industry, ultimately bringing a better experience to players.

The Witcher 4 Unreal Engine 5 Tech Demo on PS5 revealed

ML Deformer

Early in the tech demo we introduce Ciri’s horse Kelpie to the world — and how she’s far more complex than our old friend Roach. Alongside tech that makes controlling Kelpie feel much more grounded and lifelike, we’ve worked hard to develop high-quality, real-time character deformations.

ML Deformer allows elements like Kelpie’s muscles to move and flex accurately, thanks to high-fidelity data providing it with the ability to approximate complex deformations efficiently during gameplay. This allows these incredibly realistic movements to take place without the game taking a performance hit.

Fast Geometry Streaming

We’re paying attention to the large scale too. Fast Geometry Streaming allows everything in the tech demo — from the snowy mountaintops to the deep valleys and vast forests — to seamlessly load without compromising performance. It’s present throughout the tech demo, and the fact it can’t be noticed proves it’s doing its job.

Consider when we catch up with Ciri before she reaches the bustling trading hub of Valdrest, for example. We move quickly through the world, in and around different elements of the environment, but there’s no stuttering or object pop-ins. Fast Geometry Streaming is optimized to quickly load static geometry, using a lightweight method to register and unregister assets. The result is what we show throughout the tech demo: smooth and seamless world loading that allows the beauty of Kovir to shine.

Nanite Foliage

Speaking of Kovir, we take a detour through one of its dense forests while Ciri is riding to Valdrest. Nanite Foliage technology we’re developing with Epic, and how it allows our developers’ artistic vision to be fully realised in Unreal Engine 5. This tech renders incredibly detailed and realistic trees and vegetation in terms of both density and fidelity, without compromising performance.

Nanite Foliage is a new technology that efficiently renders vast amounts of foliage at runtime, making it possible to effortlessly populate landscapes with complex assets — such as lush trees with individual branches that sway in the wind.

Unreal Animation Framework

We always want to make our open worlds feel alive and lived in, and the Unreal Animation Framework shown off in the tech demo lets us add more life than ever to the villages, towns, and cities of the Continent. This tech powers advanced blending, state machines, and procedural animation workflows, letting us have many complex characters interacting with the world at once.

When we place a band on the stage in Valdrest, for example, we utilize Unreal Animation Framework to drastically increase the number of NPCs on screen. And these aren’t just simple onlookers standing still or operating on a loop; each one reacts to what’s going on around them. We want the gap between Ciri and the NPCs of The Witcher 4 to be as small as possible.

Mass Framework

Another tool that adds to the believability and lived-in feeling of the world, Mass Framework simulates large crowds and AI behaviour like the ones seen in the busy market of Valdrest. The data-driven design of Mass manages thousands of agents with minimal performance cost, making it ideal for creating realistic, dynamic populations in games.

It also allows smart objects and complex interactions to function. As Ciri approaches the market we see her bump into a man carrying a crate of apples, for example. Notice how he doesn’t just react to her collision; he loses his footing and drops several apples, which roll down the hill and trigger further, unscripted chain reactions like children running to steal one or pigs looking for an early lunch. Implementing interactions like these is one way we’re making The Witcher 4 the most immersive Witcher game to date.