CD Projekt RED announced REDEngine 3 today, which is the next generation of the in-house engine they first built to power The Witcher 2. REDEngine 3 will be used to power Cyberpunk 2077 and (likely) The Witcher 3…and its description should be enough to make any Ultima fan salivate:

“If we look at RPGs nowadays we find two approaches, one which emphasizes the story but limits the game world, and one that builds a vast, open world but hampers and simplifies the story,” said CD Projekt Red studio head Adam Badowski. “With the REDengine 3 we combine the positive aspects of both approaches for the first time, creating an open environment with a complex, multi-thread story.

“When working on our previous titles, I didn’t dream that we would achieve something like this,” he added. “Thanks to the support of all our fans, now we have the possibility to use REDengine 3 and create something many RPG fans dream of.”

As well, this Gamestalker interview, while in Dutch, gives some new and interesting details about Cyberpunk 2077. Cyberpunk co-creator Mike Pondsmith evidently does some voice acting for the game (if Google Translate is correct).