CD Projekt Red has provided its first substantial update on Project Hadar, the mysterious standalone game that will introduce the studio’s first original intellectual property.
The Polish developer is balancing several major projects. Its announced slate includes the Songs of the Past expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, a new Witcher trilogy beginning with The Witcher 4, a remake of the first The Witcher, a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077 and a multiplayer Witcher project.
Project Hadar moves beyond world-building
Project Hadar was announced four years ago as a completely separate property created internally at CD Projekt Red. At that time, the project was still limited to establishing its setting and creative foundations, with no game development underway.
That position has now changed. In an interview with Biznes Pap, CD Projekt Red CEO Michał Nowakowski said the team had completed its world-vision stage.
Nowakowski described the work as the studio’s largest undertaking so far, spanning several years. He said the team now has a consistent vision for the world and its central elements, has begun working on the game and is building small prototypes while testing gameplay ideas.
Project Hadar has not yet entered pre-production, so the update does not suggest an imminent release. However, the setting appears to be firmly established. The project will also be notable as CD Projekt Red’s first original IP, following its adaptations of Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher novels and Mike Pondsmith’s Cyberpunk tabletop role-playing game.
When are the studio’s other games due?
The next major release on CD Projekt Red’s stated schedule is The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Songs of the Past, which is planned for 2027. It will be the game’s first expansion in more than a decade, following 2016’s Blood and Wine. The original game has also recently received a new remaster for PC and consoles ahead of the add-on.
The Witcher 4 is the only other announced project with a release year, and it is planned for 2028. The game will shift the focus to Ciri, Geralt’s adopted daughter, as she takes up the work of a monster hunter.
That title is intended to begin a complete Witcher trilogy released across six years. If the sequels were spaced evenly, The Witcher 5 could arrive in 2031 and The Witcher 6 in 2034, although delivering that schedule would be challenging given the length of modern AAA development.
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