CD Projekt announces ambitious project “Polaris” and confirms improved production control after the “Cyberpunk 2077” experience.
Polish video game developer CD Projekt (CDR.WA) plans to start production on the next game in the popular “Witcher” series this year, the company’s new co-CEO, Adam Badowski, told Reuters.
“We would like to have about 400 people involved in the project by the middle of the year,” said Badowski. A veteran of the company, Badowski took over as CEO of CD Projekt alongside Michal Nowakowski at the beginning of the year.
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The project, titled “Polaris,” is a new trilogy that expands the universe of the medieval fantasy Witcher, which has sold over 75 million copies since the first game was first released in 2007.
CD Projekt hasn't set a release date for the venture's first game, but analysts predict it's expected to be released in 2026 or 2027.That leaves the company without a major game release in the next two years.
After the troubled launch of its other game, “Cyberpunk 2077,” in late 2020, CD Projekt has focused on transforming its studio. It has announced plans for several new games and reported in October that Cyberpunk sales had surpassed 25 million copies.
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A Cyberpunk sequel, codenamed “Orion,” is in the collaborative design phase, Badowski confirmed. CD Projekt expects to have around 80 people working on the project by the end of the year.
Nowakowski added that the company is considering incorporating multiplayer elements, but would not discuss specifics. He also said that wage pressures have eased and the company expects hiring at its Polish studios to be “relatively low,” but will continue to expand the studio in North America.
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He added that CD Projekt has formed a team to look at how it can leverage AI. “We see AI as something that can help improve certain processes in game production, but not replace humans,” he said.
Badowski spoke about the lessons learned from the release of Cyberpunk, saying that the company now has better control over the game production process.
"We believe that in the future we will avoid a premiere like the one we faced with Cyberpunk 2077," said Badowski.
Source of information: reuters.com
