CD Projekt Red are making a new Witcher trilogy, Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, and a brand new IP
In an update for investors, CD Projekt Red today outlined their “long-term product outlook.” It contains some projects we already knew about, such as next year’s Cyberpunk 2077 expansion Phantom Liberty, but also many that we did not. That includes a new trilogy of The Witcher RPGs, a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, and a brand new IP being developed by CD Projekt Red, plus two further games in The Witcher universe being created by third-party studios.
CDPR released details of the projects in a Twitter thread.
— CD PROJEKT IR (@CDPROJEKTRED_IR) October 4, 2022
A new in-development The Witcher game was confirmed by CDPR back in March. Today’s announcement calls it “Project Polaris”, and says it will be the first of a trilogy of new games, aiming to release over a six year period. 150+ developers are currently working on the project at CDPR.
The other Witcher projects include Project Sirius, which is described as “an innovative take on The Witcher universe telling an unforgettable story for existing Witcher fans and new audiences.” The project is in pre-production and being developed by The Molasses Flood, the developers of Flame In The Flood, which CDPR acquired last year. 60+ developers are currently working on the project.
Project Canis Majoris, meanwhile, is a new “story-driven single player open-world RPG set within The Witcher universe” currently in development at a 3rd party studio “led by ex-Witcher veterans.”
Cyberpunk 2077 expansion Phantom Liberty, due next year, is apparently in its “final production phase”. We already knew that, but we didn’t have confirmation that CDPR would work on a sequel. Named “Project Orion”, there were no details about the game other than that it would be developed by CD Projekt Red themselves.
Finally, there was that brand new IP. Referred to as “Project Hadar”, it is said to have been in “IP incubation” since late 2021, is currently in “the conceptual phase”, and is not based on any previously existing IP.
It’s worth taking all of these plans with a grain of salt. Games get delayed or cancelled, particularly when they’re announced this far in advance and before development has even started, and these announcements are designed primarily to reassure and excite investors by showing CDPR’s ambition for future growth. Still, as a Cyberpunk 2077 fan, I will allow myself one small cup of excitement too, as a treat.
Cyberpunk 2077 had a rough launch two years ago, but CDPR have patched the game thoroughly since. It has had a recent resurgence in popularity due to the release of the Cyberpunk: Edgrunners anime and a little newly added game content. The Witcher has had similar bumps in player counts from the success of its live-action Netflix series, although about the only thing absent from today’s release slate was the much delayed next-gen update for The Witcher 3.
Reference-www.rockpapershotgun.com