While CD Projekt RED is currently working hard to ensure it meets the revised release date for this year’s Cyberpunk 2077, the developer has far from forgotten about The Witcher.
According to Eurogamer Poland, in fact, the studio recently had some good news to share with fans of the franchise in a recent meeting with journalists. CD Projekt Group president Adam Kicinski relayed in the sit-down that a new game based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy book series is scheduled to begin development within the next several months. Specifically, Kicinski says that once Cyberpunk 2077 launches in September, work on the next Witcher will begin “immediately.”
As for gameplay details for the unnamed title, it’s far too soon to be talking about such things, says Kicinski, though they do stress that single-player will once again be the focus and that a rough concept already exists. Vague, we know, but one solid piece of info sure to raise questions is confirmation that this won’t be a sequel to 2015’s The Witcher 3.
That being the case, there’s a good chance that Geralt – his story firmly resolved by the end of Wild Hunt – won’t be making a return, at least in any playable capacity, leaving the door wide open for CD Projekt to explore different aspects of Sapkowski’s sprawling universe.
Whatever the outcome, it’ll be a long while yet before fans learn anything substantial. With Cyberpunk 2077 now not due to release until September following its delay earlier this year, full development of the next Witcher title won’t begin until the fall of this year at the earliest. A long wait ahead, then, but it’s not all bad news. With filming now well underway, the second season of Netflix’s The Witcher is on course to arrive sometime in 2021. See here for the latest developments on that front.