Poland's biggest video game maker CD Projekt said on Wednesday that work was in progress on a remake of the first game in its flagship medieval fantasy series "The Witcher".

In April, CD Projekt said that the Witcher series, consisting of three games, had sold more than 65 million copies. The first game of the Witcher saga, released in 2007, had helped the company gain worldwide recognition.

The project was previously referred to by the code name Canis Majoris during the company's strategy update earlier in October. The title will be built from the ground up using Unreal Engine 5 technology, and will use the toolset the company is creating for the new Witcher saga.

The remake is in the early stages of development by external studio Fool’s Theory, which specializes in role-playing games.

"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", the head of CD Projekt RED Studio Adam Badowski said in a statement.

"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", he said.

CD Projekt shares were up 4.1% by 1447 GMT.

(Reporting by Adrianna Ebert; Editing by David Goodman and Bernadette Baum)