Ciri Looks Like Her Old Self In New ‘The Witcher 4' Tech Demo
The Witcher 4
When the first trailer for CD Projekt RED's upcoming The Witcher 4 came out, a lot of fans expressed concerns about Ciri becoming the game's protagonist. Some of this was lore-based, with fans questioning how Ciri could become a full-blown Witcher given her Elder blood. Others thought the character model just looked off.
I was among these – not because this new version of Ciri was 'ugly' but because she looked nothing whatsoever like Ciri from The Witcher 3, which was kind of strange. She didn't look like an older version of the character, either, as some people claimed. She looked like a different character altogether. Unrecognizable. (And not because she looked more like her voice actor, either, which she does not in either version).
In the developer's new tech demo, major changes to Ciri's facial structure reveal a return to a character who looks much more similar to the model in The Witcher 3. She looks a bit older, which makes sense, but there's no denying the resemblance.
I bring this up because I think it shows CDPR is willing to make adjustments based on fan feedback, which is a good thing. I'm also incredibly impressed with the new voice actor, Ciara Berkeley, who does a great job playing a somewhat older Ciri. She takes over for the excellent Jo Wyatt.
FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™
Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase
Pinpoint By Linkedin
Guess The Category
Queens By Linkedin
Crown Each Region
Crossclimb By Linkedin
Unlock A Trivia Ladder
The tech demo itself looks fantastic, but it's important that this is a demo – not actual gameplay from the final game. Just a slice carved off to show the world, polished and primed. It certainly shows off what Unreal Engine 5 is capable of, and frankly if the final product looks even remotely close to this good, I'll be deeply impressed. If it manages to run at 4k / 60fps on modern consoles, I'll do a happy dance (though I'll be playing on PC, naturally). But I remain skeptical, not just because CDPR has certainly let us down in the past (thank you Cyberpunk 2077 launch!) but because I've been doing this for a long time, and I've seen countless tech demos that look far, far better than the final product. They promise the world and then deliver . . . less.
But hey, I'd happily be wrong on this count. The game doesn't just look amazing, it has such enormous attention to detail, like the musculature of Ciri's horse, Kelpie, and the thick, living forests using 'nanite foliage' technology. It certainly looks better than those crazy trees in The Witcher 3.
The good news is that Epic Games is working closely with CDPR on this game, which should translate into the most efficient and accurate use of Unreal Engine 5 possible. The reactive nature of the NPCs in the market is incredibly impressive, and I wonder if some of Epic's progress with AI in Fortnite will carry over into The Witcher 4.
Whatever the case, watching this tech demo makes me want to live in this world. I suspect that when the game finally comes out, I will do just that.
If you're looking for more Witcher content in the meantime, I've really been enjoying Viva La Dirt League's Witcher sketches, which are in many ways better than Netflix's series.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Here's What Intertek Group's (LON:ITRK) Strong Returns On Capital Mean
Did you know there are some financial metrics that can provide clues of a potential multi-bagger? Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. Ergo, when we looked at the ROCE trends at Intertek Group (LON:ITRK), we liked what we saw. This technology could replace computers: discover the 20 stocks are working to make quantum computing a reality. For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Intertek Group: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities) 0.22 = UK£555m ÷ (UK£3.6b - UK£1.1b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2024). So, Intertek Group has an ROCE of 22%. In absolute terms that's a great return and it's even better than the Professional Services industry average of 17%. View our latest analysis for Intertek Group Above you can see how the current ROCE for Intertek Group compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free analyst report for Intertek Group . Intertek Group deserves to be commended in regards to it's returns. The company has employed 33% more capital in the last five years, and the returns on that capital have remained stable at 22%. Now considering ROCE is an attractive 22%, this combination is actually pretty appealing because it means the business can consistently put money to work and generate these high returns. If these trends can continue, it wouldn't surprise us if the company became a multi-bagger. In short, we'd argue Intertek Group has the makings of a multi-bagger since its been able to compound its capital at very profitable rates of return. Despite the good fundamentals, total returns from the stock have been virtually flat over the last five years. That's why we think it'd be worthwhile to look further into this stock given the fundamentals are appealing. Before jumping to any conclusions though, we need to know what value we're getting for the current share price. That's where you can check out our that compares the share price and estimated value. If you want to search for more stocks that have been earning high returns, check out this free list of stocks with solid balance sheets that are also earning high returns on equity. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
These Return Metrics Don't Make Reach (LON:RCH) Look Too Strong
If you're looking at a mature business that's past the growth phase, what are some of the underlying trends that pop up? A business that's potentially in decline often shows two trends, a return on capital employed (ROCE) that's declining, and a base of capital employed that's also declining. This indicates to us that the business is not only shrinking the size of its net assets, but its returns are falling as well. So after we looked into Reach (LON:RCH), the trends above didn't look too great. We've found 21 US stocks that are forecast to pay a dividend yield of over 6% next year. See the full list for free. For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. To calculate this metric for Reach, this is the formula: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities) 0.088 = UK£92m ÷ (UK£1.2b - UK£158m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2024). So, Reach has an ROCE of 8.8%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Media industry average of 11%. Check out our latest analysis for Reach In the above chart we have measured Reach's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Reach for free. There is reason to be cautious about Reach, given the returns are trending downwards. To be more specific, the ROCE was 12% five years ago, but since then it has dropped noticeably. And on the capital employed front, the business is utilizing roughly the same amount of capital as it was back then. Since returns are falling and the business has the same amount of assets employed, this can suggest it's a mature business that hasn't had much growth in the last five years. If these trends continue, we wouldn't expect Reach to turn into a multi-bagger. In the end, the trend of lower returns on the same amount of capital isn't typically an indication that we're looking at a growth stock. Despite the concerning underlying trends, the stock has actually gained 22% over the last five years, so it might be that the investors are expecting the trends to reverse. Either way, we aren't huge fans of the current trends and so with that we think you might find better investments elsewhere. One more thing, we've spotted 2 warning signs facing Reach that you might find interesting. While Reach isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets. — Investing narratives with Fair Values A case for TSXV:USA to reach USD $5.00 - $9.00 (CAD $7.30–$12.29) by 2029. By Agricola – Community Contributor Fair Value Estimated: CA$12.29 · 0.9% Overvalued DLocal's Future Growth Fueled by 35% Revenue and Profit Margin Boosts By WynnLevi – Community Contributor Fair Value Estimated: $195.39 · 0.9% Overvalued Historically Cheap, but the Margin of Safety Is Still Thin By Mandelman – Community Contributor Fair Value Estimated: SEK232.58 · 0.1% Overvalued View more featured narratives — Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
This Rosslyn Data Technologies Insider Increased Their Holding By 958% Last Year
From what we can see, insiders were net buyers in Rosslyn Data Technologies plc's (LON:RDT ) during the past 12 months. That is, insiders acquired the stock in greater numbers than they sold it. While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. We've found 21 US stocks that are forecast to pay a dividend yield of over 6% next year. See the full list for free. The Independent Non-Executive Chairman James Appleby made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for UK£264k worth of shares at a price of UK£0.05 each. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at above the current price of UK£0.037. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. In our view, the price an insider pays for shares is very important. Generally speaking, it catches our eye when an insider has purchased shares at above current prices, as it suggests they believed the shares were worth buying, even at a higher price. The only individual insider to buy over the last year was James Appleby. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date! View our latest analysis for Rosslyn Data Technologies There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. If investing in lesser known companies is your style, you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them). Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Insiders own 13% of Rosslyn Data Technologies shares, worth about UK£337k, according to our data. We do note, however, it is possible insiders have an indirect interest through a private company or other corporate structure. Overall, this level of ownership isn't that impressive, but it's certainly better than nothing! The fact that there have been no Rosslyn Data Technologies insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. We'd like to see bigger individual holdings. However, we don't see anything to make us think Rosslyn Data Technologies insiders are doubting the company. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. For example, Rosslyn Data Technologies has 4 warning signs (and 2 which are concerning) we think you should know about. But note: Rosslyn Data Technologies may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests. — Investing narratives with Fair Values A case for TSXV:USA to reach USD $5.00 - $9.00 (CAD $7.30–$12.29) by 2029. By Agricola – Community Contributor Fair Value Estimated: CA$12.29 · 0.9% Overvalued DLocal's Future Growth Fueled by 35% Revenue and Profit Margin Boosts By WynnLevi – Community Contributor Fair Value Estimated: $195.39 · 0.9% Overvalued Historically Cheap, but the Margin of Safety Is Still Thin By Mandelman – Community Contributor Fair Value Estimated: SEK232.58 · 0.1% Overvalued View more featured narratives — Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
