With A Major Focus On The Witcher 4, What's CD Projekt Red Crafting Next?

CD Projekt ADR OTGLY has provided insights into their game development initiatives during their latest earnings report.

As of Oct. 31, 2023, almost 330 developers, roughly half of their development staff, have been dedicated to the creation of "Polaris," unofficially referred to as The Witcher 4, Insider Gaming reported.

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The team's size is expected to reach over 400 members by mid-2024. This project, which entered pre-production in May 2022, will utilize Unreal Engine 5, marking a new technological venture for CD Projekt Red.

Another Witcher-based game, codenamed "Sirius," is in progress at The Molasses Flood, aiming for a mix of single-player story elements and multiplayer components distinct from the open-world RPG style of The Witcher series.

Additionally, "Canis Majoris," a separate AAA Witcher RPG under CD Projekt Red's publishing, is in the works with a different development team, and it's expected to follow Polaris but remains at least three years away from release.

Furthermore, plans for a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, named "Orion," were confirmed in October 2022. However, active development is pending an expansion of the team, particularly with CD Projekt Red North America leading the project.

Beyond these known titles, CD Projekt Red has initiated development on their first original IP called "Hadar," although details about its content remain scarce.

While Polaris and its associated technological advancements hint at a release in around three years, CD Projekt Red acknowledges the complex nature of simultaneously creating new games and innovative technology.

This suggests a potential development period extending beyond the projected timeline, possibly to four or five years, as the studio navigates these uncharted territories within Unreal Engine 5.

CD Projekt Red has gone through three rounds of layoffs this year, amounting to around 100 workers. As a result, the Polish Gamedev Workers Union was founded by current CD Projekt staff Paweł Myszka and Lev Ki.

Read Next: CD Projekt Layoffs Spur Creation Of Polish Game Developer Union, Avalanche Studios Also Sees 100+ Employees Join Union

Image credits: MOZCO Mateusz Szymanski on Shutterstock.