New Witcher Game Reportedly Beginning Development This Year

The next installment in The Witcher series is reportedly poised to begin development this year after Cyberpunk 2077 launches. In other words, once CD Projekt Red's current open-world first-person role-playing game hits PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Google Stadia in September, CD Projekt Red will shift focus to a new installment in the series that put it on the map. Word of the game's development comes way of Stooq (via Eurogamer Poland), who claims that CD Projekt Red's Adam Kicinski recently revealed to local journalists that once Cyberpunk 2077 is out of the way, the team will return to the wonderful world of The Witcher.

Unfortunately, this is where the salient details dry up. In other words, will it pick up after the events of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt? Will it star Geralt or Ciri? Will it be a prequel or a spin-off? Sadly, for now, we don't have these details, but given Geralt's increasingly iconic status, it's hard to imagine CD Projekt Red moving on from the character, even if many fans wouldn't mind playing as Ciri.

What we do know is that it won't be The Witcher 4. This doesn't mean it won't be set after the events of Wild Hunt though; it simply means it won't be a mainline sequel. This also leaves the door open for it not to star Geralt. According to the report, Kicinski says development will begin with a small team, while the bulk of CD Projekt Red focuses on Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer and support. At the moment, it's unclear if it will stay with a small team, however, the language used implies the bulk of the Polish developer will eventually get behind the game.

Interestingly, the report reveals that Kicinski said that the game has been in some form of pre-production for a little bit, and is ready to be transitioned from concept to proper development. However, right now the team needs to focus on shipping Cyberpunk 2077, which has already suffered numerous delays.

As you can see, it's all a bit hazy right now. Further, who knows what's being lost in translation. That said, one thing is pretty clear: more Witcher games are on the way.