Project Polaris, the codename for the next Witcher game, has crossed a major milestone: It’s now officially in full production. CD Projekt made the announcement today, November 26, as part of the company’s wider earnings briefing.
Game director Sebastian Kalemba said the game–unofficially know as The Witcher 4–has “entered the full-scale production phase,” following a period of pre-production. “With new challenges just around the corner, it’s the talented and hard-working people who make me believe we can together make the upcoming Witcher Saga a remarkable experience. No stopping now! Stay tuned for what’s on the other side of the coin!,” he said.
I’m thrilled to announce that Project Polaris has entered the full-scale production phase! With new challenges just around the corner, it’s the talented and hard-working people who make me believe we can together make the upcoming Witcher Saga a remarkable experience. No stopping… pic.twitter.com/2pJdsg2sWX
— Sebastian Kalemba (@Skalemba) November 26, 2024
The majority of CD Projekt’s development staff, totaling 400 of 650 total staffers, are now working on Polaris. This is actually down from 410 people as of July 31, 2024, before the game entered full production.
CD Projekt has a number of other games in the works, too, including Orion (the next Cyberpunk game), which has 64 people working on it now. Then there’s Sirius (a Witcher spin-off) that has 32 people working on it. A total of 15 people are working on Hadar (a new IP), while other staff are contributing to “shared services” and other projects. You can see a headcount breakdown in the graphic below.
Not much is known about The Witcher 4, or whatever the game might be called. Management previously indicated, back in 2022, that The Witcher 4 would be released in 2025 at the very soonest, but this plan could have changed since then.
As for the story, we know Geralt will be in the game, though he won’t be the focus of the narrative. Joint-CEO Michał Nowakowski previously said The Witcher 4 is not going to be “The Witcher 3 in new clothing.” It aims to break new ground and stand apart from the games that came before it.
Also during the earnings report, CD Projekt announced that Cyberpunk 2077 has now sold 30 million copies, with its Phantom Liberty expansion shifting 8 million copies.