CD Projekt Pink are persevering with to bulk up the crew growing The Witcher 4 – formally codenamed Polaris – with two-thirds of the studio now engaged on the follow-up to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. In the meantime, the crew engaged on Cyberpunk 2077 has shrunk to fewer than 20 folks, lower than half the quantity engaged on its upcoming sequel.
Cd Projekt Pink Are Making A New Witcher Trilogy, A Sequel To Cyberpunk 2077 & Extra
The newest perception into the precedence given to every of the Polish builders’ varied initiatives got here via their FY 2023 earnings name, throughout which co-CEO Michał Nowakowski revealed that greater than 400 builders had been now targeted on challenge Polaris – aka The Witcher 4.
400 was the goal crew dimension outlined for mid-2024 by CD Undertaking Pink earlier this yr, representing simply shy of two-thirds of the corporate’s 600-strong growth crew and a leap from the round 330 devs stated to be engaged on it final November. Because of this, Polaris is deliberate to maneuver from its present pre-production section into full manufacturing through the second half of the yr.
A lot of these additional Witcher 4 builders have shifted over from Cyberpunk 2077, having launched its Phantom Liberty enlargement and big 2.0 replace final yr. Simply 17 folks at the moment are left on the 2077 crew, which Nowakowski stated may “shrink a bit” additional as no additional “massive updates” are deliberate.
“After all, we’re nonetheless taking a look at this sport and issues could change in the future, however as for now, 17 is sufficient,” Nowakowski stated, including: “We’re lastly glad – since final yr – with the state of the sport.”
Cyberpunk 2077’s sequel, codenamed Orion, was stated to be within the conceptual section, with a few of the high expertise from the primary sport and Phantom Liberty overseeing the challenge – which was contemplating some form of multiplayer aspect and a shift away from first-person, final we heard. Whereas the Cyberpunk sequel was confirmed to have CD Projekt Pink’s second-biggest growth crew engaged on it, the crew contains simply 47 devs – nearly a tenth of the subsequent Witcher sport.
After Polaris, the challenge second closest to completion is challenge Sirius, the Witcher spin-off sport headed up by The Molasses Flood, main a crew of 37 devs.
Unsurprisingly, CD Projekt Pink refused to be drawn on a potential launch date for The Witcher 4 – with Nowakowski responding “revealing launch dates is a part of the advertising plan, and that’s not one thing we’re keen to do right here” to a shareholder query – however insisted that Polaris can be bold and groundbreaking greater than “The Witcher 3 in new clothes”.
“In the case of the dangers of modern components – making a brand new sport is at all times a artistic danger, particularly since we’re making an attempt to push new boundaries and discover new fields; that’s one thing we haven’t really finished earlier than,” Nowakowski stated.
“I suppose what I’m saying is that you simply shouldn’t be anticipating “The Witcher 3 in new clothes” of kinds; after all we’re constructing on the shoulders of what got here earlier than, and on what we’ve discovered, however we will probably be including new gameplay components and new mechanics that you haven’t seen in our earlier video games. I’d say – doing such issues is at all times a danger; it’s not simply repeating what was finished earlier than.”
