CD Projekt Redhas grown to be one of the most well-respected and popular development studios in the industry, boasting an array of successful franchises under its umbrella. The company recently held an investor call outlining its near-future plans for its most exciting IPs likeCyberpunkandThe Witcher, with a surprisingly comprehensive amount of exciting announcements being made.
It is no secret thatCD Projekt Redhas come under some criticism in recent years due to the tumultuous launch ofCyberpunk 2077, but the fan reception to the recent investor call is a clear indication of the continued support for the development studio. While most of these announcement concern franchises that are already well-established, it seems that CD Projekt Red is looking to expand even further into new IPs.
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The Witcher Announcements
The Witcherseries of games is arguably the flagship franchise that comes under the CD Projekt Red name. Finding its video game roots all the way back in 2007,The Witchergames andthe tale of Geralthave won the hearts of a wide-spanning fan base over the course of three massively successful mainline titles.
A testament to just how popularThe Witcherfranchise has become is present in the fact that the series has recently been adapted to TV, withThe Witcherreceiving its own well-received Netflix showstarring Henry Cavill. With this popularity in mind, it is no wonder that fans have eagerly been anticipating news of a new installment to the series, and the recent Projekt Red announcements did not disappoint.
While news of aWitcher 4has been circulating for some time, the recent investor call confirmed that the nextWitcherinstallment will be the first of a trilogy of mainline games that will come under the franchise. Along with this exciting announcement, CD Projekt Red also confirmed thattwo additional titles set within theWitcheruniverseare set to begin development, codenamedProject SiriusandProject Canis Majoris.
Both of these codenamed titles are set to be developed externally from CD Projekt Red, offering exciting new twists to the established gameplay formula ofThe Witcher. For example, it is reported thatSiriuswill offer a comprehensive form of multiplayer as well as single player gameplay, whileCanis Majoriswill be a more traditional story-driven experience. The investor call also confirmed thatThe Witcher 3is still set to come to current generation consoles this year.
Cyberpunk Announcements
TheCyberpunkfranchise is considered to be one of the most ambitious and controversial franchises that comes under the CD Projekt Red name, making its long-awaited debut within the gaming industry in 2020 with the notoriousCyberpunk 2077. Being announced all the way back in 2012, the unprecedented amount of hype surrounding the title arguably led to a rushed release, withCyberpunk 2077having one of the most disastrous launchesthat a large-scale title has ever received.
While this was a definite blow to the launch of the new story, the franchise has miraculously staged a form of a comeback in recent months. Many point to the success of therecent Netflix showCyberpunk: Edgerunnersas the source of this second wave, reaffirming the strong and mutually beneficial relationship between CD Projekt Red and Netflix.
In the wake of this recent resurgence of the franchise, CD Projekt Red surprisinglyannounced a sequel toCyberpunk 2077, which is currently codenamedCyberpunk Orion. Billed to “prove the full power and potential of the Cyberpunk universe,” it is clear that the studio feels it can give the franchise the installment that it deserves withOrion, especially considering the much improved current state of2077compared to its launch state. While it is likely thatOrionis very far off, withCyberpunk 2077still yet to receive its anticipated DLC expansion namedPhantom Library, it is understandably a fascinating prospect for fans of the franchise.
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Project Hadar
One of the most surprising announcements to come from CD Projekt Red’s recent investor call came withthe announcement ofProject Hadar. This mysterious new title is set to bring about the launch of a brand new IP for Projekt Red, marking the company’s first foray into a new franchise that has no prior source material to draw inspiration from.
Of course, very little is currently known aboutProject Hadar, with the game still likely being in the very first stages of early pre-development. According to CD Projekt Red,Hadarhas been on the back-burner at the company for some time, with the correct amount of resources finally being available to push the new title into the next stage of development and public knowledge.
This ambitious news comes essentially simultaneously with the announcement that CD Projekt Red is set to open up a new studio hub in Boston, with the company establishing itself further in North America alongside its existing Vancouver hub. While this new Boston hub is set to focusprimarily onCyberpunkcontent, it is clear that the company is at a stage of rapid growth and development.
With thepopularCyberpunkandWitcherfranchisescovering a wide breadth of potential settings and gameplay genres, many fans are understandably curious as to what kind of gameHadarwill turn out to be. That being said, it remains clear thatCD Projekt Redwill reveal more as time goes on, with a litany of releases and projects scheduled to become clearer and excite fans even further in the very near future.
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