As The Witcher 1 celebrates its 17th birthday, CD Projekt's joint CEO has taken the opportunity to tease more about "the future," although he's clearly not ready to spill the beans on The Witcher 4 just yet.
The Witcher's anniversary is, for good reason, a cause for celebration for the developers at CD Projekt Red. Over the weekend, Paweł Sasko – associate game director of the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 sequel – went as far to say that finding out that the initial RPG was being developed in Poland "changed the trajectory of my life" after he "promised myself" that he'd work for the studio, too. Joint CEO Michał Nowakowski has also been reflecting on the past, reminiscing about the "big hopes" that the studio held out for the game as it launched.
"I was there during the launch and I never dreamt where the company will be many years later. Can't wait to tell you more about what the future holds. When the time is right of course," he adds with a wink.
The "future" Nowakowski teases could be a lot of different things. CD Projekt Red has plenty in the works, from the aforementioned Cyberpunk 2077 sequel to a new IP codenamed Hadar, as well as The Witcher Polaris – better known by its unofficial name, The Witcher 4. Polaris is particularly exciting since it's the beginning of a whole new Witcher saga, with plans for it to be the first installment in a "new AAA RPG trilogy." It'll certainly be a huge part of the developer's future in the long run, so it'd make sense if that's what Nowakowski is teasing – at least in part.
Clearly though, he's not going to confirm that one way or another right now. There are plenty more Witcher-shaped things to look forward to, too, with Fool's Theory working on a remake for The Witcher 1, and The Molasses Flood developing yet another game set in The Witcher universe, codenamed Sirius.
Responding to one fan asking about the team's definition of success when The Witcher 1 released, the joint CEO reveals that it boiled down to a few things, including "making an impression with the fans and selling enough to be able to make another game." However, he concludes: "The ultimate goal was always to be one of the best in the future. Which by the way is a never ending goal and needs to be proven with each release. No success is given forever."
Clearly then, CD Projekt isn't resting on its laurels, which bodes well for all of its future endeavors. When we'll find out any more about them is another matter, of course, but we'll just have to watch this space.
For now, be sure to check out our roundup of all upcoming CD Projekt Red games.