The Witcher 4is ready to begin production, marking the first installment of a new trilogy in the RPG series developed byCD Projekt.
The Witcher 4 Will Leave the Pre-Production Phase Soon
A new era is beginning forCD Projekt, the powerful Polish company that has delivered RPG gems like The Witcher trilogy andCyberpunk 2077not to mentionPhantom Liberty. Now, we know they are working on multiple projects simultaneously.
The most advanced of these isThe Witcher 4,codenamed Project Polaris. It is the first installment of the new trilogy in the saga, which will featureGeralt of Riviathough he won’t be the main character.
The fourth installment of The Witcher is about to complete pre-production, meaning the production phase will begin before the end of 2024.
We can’t say the same for Project Orion, the sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, which is in development by CD Projekt’s studio in Boston. Other projects in the works include The Witcher Remake (Canis Majoris), the online-focused spin-off (Sirius), and the new IP Hadar.
CD Projekt has shared its financial results for the first half of 2024, revealing positive conclusions in terms of revenue and profits. Additionally, they have specified the current number of employees and the resource allocations for each development.
CD Projekt RED has recorded 425 million zlotys in revenue, approximately 98 million euros. This represents a 31% increase compared to the previous period (second half of 2023), while the profit metric shows an increase of nearly 41%. In terms of net profit, the Polish company reports 170 million zlotys (almost 40 million euros). Moreover, they clarify that their reserves amount to more than 55 million zlotys, which is quite good.
The First of The Three New Witcher Games
Regarding Project Polaris, the first of the three new Witcher games, the studio has allocated a whopping 410 employees out of the total 1,134 workers (31 fewer than in 2023) across its different teams. This is why The Witcher 4 will soon leave the pre-production phase, likely in the fall of 2024, with active production starting in the winter. “Work on Polaris is progressing: the development team is approaching an important milestone that will mark the end of the pre-production phase.
The first half of the year has also been a very intense period for our Boston studio, which is laying the groundwork for Project Orion, a new game set in the Cyberpunk universe,” says Michał Nowakowski, co-CEO. For Project Orion, the second Cyberpunk 2077 installment, CD Projekt reveals that around 60 developers are working on the game, most of whom were involved in Phantom Liberty.
Interestingly, the chart does not indicate how many developers are working on Project Sirius (co-developed by CD Projekt and The Molasses Flood) or Canis Majoris (in collaboration with Fool’s Theory). However, it is noted that around 20 employees are already defining the pre-concept phase of Hadar, CD Projekt’s new internal IP.
For now, there are no release dates or windows, but we might be surprised with The Witcher 4 and a possible release in 2025. Additionally, it’s worth noting that the studio aims to adapt its major hits to mobile devices.
For more Fextralife news, be sure to check outThe Witcher III REDkit Modding Tool Is Availableand alsoNetflix Unveils A Sneak Peek of Liam Hemsworth in The Witcher
