Summary
- CD Projekt Red has five games in development, including a new Witcher saga, Cyberpunk sequel and an original IP, Hadar.
- The new Witcher game, Polaris, is moving away from REDengine and will be built on Unreal Engine 5.
- Project Sirius, a multiplayer Witcher spin-off, is being developed by The Molasses Flood.
The Witcher series, has shared its updated pipeline, with five games confirmed to be in development. The studio is directly responsible for developing three of them across the Cyberpunk and Witcher franchises, along with a new IP, and is ing two other studios on other titles.
Despite a rocky launch for Cyberpunk 2077 that has since been remedied over the years, CD Projekt Red's reputation has been extremely strong, particularly surrounding the impressive storytelling on display through its titles, making it one of the studios gamers should keep an eye on. While many of its announced titles seem quite some way from being released, mostly being in pre-production or concept stages, there's plenty the studio has in store to look forward to.
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The Witcher: Polaris Is In Pre-Production
Polaris Marks The Beginning Of A New Witcher Saga
Polaris is a codename for the next installment in The Witcher series of games being developed by CD Projekt Red. The title is moving away from the studio's REDengine, which has been used on all of CDPR's games since 2011's The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, and will instead be built on Unreal Engine 5 as part of a partnership with Epic Games. CDPR's Global PR Director, Radek Grabowski did confirm in a follow-up statement on X (then Twitter) that despite Epic's involvement, Polaris will not be an exclusive to one storefront, such as the Epic Games Store.
It's worth noting that the studio has stated that Polaris is not specifically The Witcher 4, but is intended as "the beginning of a new saga" with CD Projekt Red aiming to release two more Witcher games after Polaris, creating a new AAA RPG trilogy. While there are no story details available, the announcement was accompanied by an image of a cat medallion in the snow, potentially hinting at the School of the Lynx.
Despite being still in the pre-production stage at CD Project Red, so it may be some time before players get to experience the next installment in the series.
Witcher 3 Characters That Could Appear In Witcher 4
CD Projekt Red recently announced The Witcher 4 was currently in development, meaning players could see characters like Geralt or Ciri in the sequel.
The Witcher: Sirius Is In Pre-Production
The Multiplayer Spin-Off Is Developed By The Molasses Flood
CD Projekt Red’s recently acquired indie studio, The Molasses Flood, known for the roguelike survival adventure The Flame in the Flood, is developing Project Sirius with from CDPR. Little is known about this Witcher spin-off except for the fact that it would give players the option to explore its campaign in single-player, while also including multiplayer gameplay for the first time in a Witcher game.
In 2023, CD Projekt Red revealed a massive write-off for costs associated with Sirius' development with 21 developers at The Molasses Flood being laid off after "a new framework” was established for the game, with chief financial officer Piotr Nielubowicz explaining that "it's better to cut costs early, and even restart if needed, than to carry on." in CD Projekt's 2022 earnings conference. Nothing has been revealed since regarding what direction Sirius is taking, or how it will be different from the previous version, but as per the new pipeline announcement, The Molasses Flood's spin-off is in pre-production.
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The Witcher Remake Is In The Concept Stage
The 2007 Title Aged Poorly Compared To Later Entries In The Series
The first game in The Witcher series was a PC exclusive release back in 2007 - although a console version called The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf was planned but was ultimately canceled - and while it holds sentimental value for many, particularly being CD Projekt Red's first game, and does still tell a good story, serving as a good introduction to the world and characters from Andrzej Sapkowski's novels for many, it did launch in a very rough state to the point where it needed a special edition just to fix all of the technical and design issues with the game.
Despite these fixes, it has notably aged poorly, especially compared to its sequels, which went on to boast far better gameplay. Fortunately, the game is being remade in Unreal Engine 5 by Fool's Theory, and is currently in the concept stage, with CD Projekt Red acting as creative supervisor over the project, and will hopefully bring the title more in line with what players have come to expect from the popular The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Witcher Remake Will Make Replaying The Series Actually Fun
The first Witcher game has always been the weakest part of the trilogy, but the title’s Unreal Engine 5 remake will hopefully change that.
Cyberpunk: Project Orion Is In The Concept Stage
Orion Is Set To "Prove The Full Power" Of The Cyberpunk Universe
Orion is a codename for the next Cyberpunk game, which was announced in October 2022. While there has been nothing revealed surrounding the game's story, or if it will continue V's journey - despite the multiple endings available in Cyberpunk 2077 making this difficult unless a true canon one is chosen - CD Projekt Red has confirmed it will be developing the game, and that it will "prove the full power and potential of the Cyberpunk universe."
Eagle-eyed players believe they have seen turning its attention more fully toward Orion, rather than adding further updates to Cyberpunk 2077.
Cyberpunk 2077 Sequel Leaks Already Show One Big Improvement
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Hadar Is CD Projekt Red's New IP
The Studio Is Building This Universe From Scratch
The final project mentioned in CD Projekt Red's plans is not one set in the Witcher or Cyberpunk universes and is a completely original intellectual property, codenamed Hadar, which is being created from scratch by the studio. Very little is known about Hadar, but the March 2024 pipeline states that it is in the IP concept phase, despite being announced alongside The Witcher Sirius in October 2022, and worked on since late 2021.
Nothing is known about what genre Hadar will be in, or how it will compare to CD Projekt Red's previous titles. Considering the solid reputation the studio has for its storytelling, however, it will be interesting to see CD Projekt Red creating its own universe rather than adapting pre-existing ones, as The Witcher came from a series of novels, and Cyberpunk 2077 was already based on the universe Mike Pondsmith created for his tabletop RPG games.
Sources: Radek Grabowski/X CD Projekt Red, CD Projekt/YouTube
