CD Projekt Red (CDPR) announced that it has completed the worldbuilding phase for its first original IP, 'Project Hadar.' The company also expressed satisfaction with sales performance following the remaster of 'The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.'
In an interview with Polish news agency PAP on the 15th, Joint CEO Michał Nowakowski stated that sales for The Witcher 3 have remained higher than pre-remaster levels even after the autumn sale ended. He added that this demonstrates how even a game over 11 years old can boost sales through the right initiatives, expressing optimism ahead of the expansion's release in 2027.
The remaster launched on September 29 for PC, PS5, XSX|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. Steam concurrent players hit 120,000 on launch day, surpassing the previous record of 103,000 set in January 2020 due to the Netflix series, and rose to 137,000 during its first weekend. Nowakowski noted that he expected such records only with an expansion, calling its achievement with a remaster a notable success. CDPR previously revealed during its Q1 financial results announcement in May this year that cumulative sales for The Witcher 3 reached 65 million copies.
The expansion, 'Songs of the Past,' set in the new region of 'Letten,' will launch in 2027. The game is being co-developed with Fool's Theory, and Nowakowski stated that they will ensure it stands as a worthy successor to previous expansions. CDPR explained that its scale is comparable to 'Blood and Wine,' while 'The Witcher 4' is also focusing on three platforms: PC, PS5, and XSX|S. He cited The Witcher 4 as the company's most ambitious title, highlighting a policy that every project must introduce fresh attempts in narrative and gameplay.
Nowakowski explained that establishing a consistent setting and core elements was their largest foundational effort yet, taking several years. The team has entered game development, though it is not yet at the pre-production stage.
Currently, small prototypes and gameplay element testing are underway. Hadar is CDPR's first original IP, announced in October 2022. Previous titles, The Witcher and Cyberpunk, were based on Andrzej Sapkowski's novels and Mike Pondsmith's tabletop RPG, respectively. CDPR previously described Hadar as an "emotional open-world experience" in a job posting last June.
As CDPR revealed in its first-half earnings report in September that Hadar was still in the concept stage, these latest remarks indicate a midpoint transition from concept to active development. Meanwhile, regarding 'Project Sirius,' a multiplayer game set in The Witcher universe, CDPR stated that the team size had grown beyond what suited its current stage of development, which led to recent headcount adjustments. As this is the first game of its kind for CDPR, the studio remains cautious about disclosing details. Project Sirius reportedly saw nine staff laid off and nine transferred to other projects last August.
Meanwhile, with Sony deciding to discontinue disc production for new PlayStation games starting January 2028, CDPR expressed its intention to continue physical box releases. Since console manufacturers own their pressing facilities, closing physical distribution channels makes standard disc releases impossible; however, CDPR aims to release boxed editions containing download codes and merchandise instead. On the Nintendo Switch 2, several third-party games are already releasing physical boxed versions containing Game-Key cards or download codes.
