More than a year ago, CD Projekt RED unveiled the development of a new installment in The Witcher series. Subsequently, the company disclosed plans for an entirely new trilogy, defining the project as a “story-driven open-world RPG inspired by The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.” As 2024 approaches, the development has significantly intensified.
According to the recent earnings report, nearly half of the studio’s development team, approximately 330 employees, is currently dedicated to the upcoming installment of The Witcher. CEO Adam Kiciński anticipates this figure to rise to 400 by mid-2024, with the team from the Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty expansion transitioning. However, a release timeframe for the RPG project, named Polaris, remains undisclosed.
The Geralt of Rivia mainline trilogy concluded in 2015 with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The upcoming trilogy is poised to introduce a fresh Witcher from a different school, as indicated by the initial teaser image featuring a medallion notably distinct from Geralt’s iconic Wolf School emblem.
CD Projekt RED is making a shift to adopt Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 5 for all its forthcoming endeavors, moving away from the internally developed REDengine that fueled most of its prior games. Among the studio’s upcoming ventures are the new Witcher trilogy, a remake of the original The Witcher, and a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077 following the release of its inaugural and concluding expansion.
The studio is not finished with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt either. Nearly a decade after its release, the game is set to receive official modding tools in the coming year. With CD Projekt fully transitioning to Unreal Engine 5, it appears that the studio intends to allow the community to explore REDengine 3 as a farewell gesture.
Via Neowin