In 2022, the Polish studio CD Projekt Red revealed that it was developing several new installments in The Witcher franchise, one of them being a game called Project Sirius. For those who don’t know, Project Sirius is the codename for a yet-to-be-announced Witcher spin-off that’s being developed by The Molasses Flood, a Boston, Massachusetts-based company that’s best known for its work on survival games like The Flame and the Flood and Drake Hollow. The Molasses Flood was originally a small, independent company, but it was acquired by CD Projekt Red in 2021. Project Sirius is going to be the studio’s first game under CDPR and the first AAA title it’s ever made.
Like with most of CD Projekt Red’s upcoming releases, information on Project Sirius is scant, to say the least. The only things that have been confirmed about the game so far is that it will be multiplayer-focused and will feature a narrative-driven single-player campaign. A recent job listing, however, may give fans a better idea of what to expect from Project Sirius. Earlier this week, CDPR posted an employment ad on its website requesting a Lead Designer/Design Director for The Molasses Flood, specifically one who’s familiar with third-person action, multiplayer and/or live service games. The fact the ad explicitly mentions “live operations” experience under the list of qualifications for the job suggests that Project Sirius will be a GAAS game of some kind. If this is the case, then the approach CDPR is potentially taking with this title has a lot of pros and cons.
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There Are a Lot of Advantages and Disadvantages to Project Sirius Taking a Live Service Approach
Project Sirius Could Expand the Lore of The Witcher Universe With the Live Service Model
The Witcher franchise is filled to the brim with rich lore, both in the games and the books that said games are based on. Although CD Projekt Red’s RPGs cover a lot of the characters, settings, and plot points within The Witcher universe, there are still many stories that can be told in the land of the Continent. A mainline installment in the series like the upcoming Witcher 4, however, can only have so many narratives. The more rigid setting and plot of a single-player game can limit the amount of content CDPR can include from a storytelling standpoint. Therefore, taking the live service route could be a good way to expand the world of The Witcher.
If Project Sirius adopts a live service business model, then that makes expansive post-launch content for the game more plausible. CD Projekt Red can add new quests, storylines, characters, and even entire new regions to explore in seasonal updates for the game. It can also make the story in Project Sirius ongoing so that players who are invested in its plot will have a greater incentive to check the game out regularly. If handled properly, Project Sirius as a live service can be a dream come true for some Witcher fans.
A Live Service Project Sirius Could Have Microtransactions and an Always-Online Requirement
That being said, there are a lot of disadvantages to this approach to consider, as well. If Project Sirius does go the GAAS route, then there’s a high probability that it will have a lot of microtransactions. By potentially filling the game with battle passes, paid cosmetics, and other in-game purchases, CD Projekt Red could risk alienating the entire Witcher fanbase. Seasonal updates, battle passes, and the like could also make Project Sirius a very time-consuming game, which some fans would probably not be happy about.
The live service market is highly saturated right now; tons of GAAS games are released every year, but many of them, such as XDefiant and Concord, are getting shut down due to low player interest and stiff competition. If Project Sirius has an always-online requirement and isn’t successful in the long term, then it’s possible that it may also get shuttered shortly after its launch and, therefore, be lost to time forever. The Molasses Flood would need to ensure that it can release a steady flow of high-quality content for its upcoming Witcher spin-off before it commits to a live service approach.
The Witcher
The Witcher is a 3D action RPG series developed by CD Projekt Red featuring the exploits of Geralt of Rivia. Steeped in fantasy, The Witcher series is based on the books by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.