Dang, The Witcher 4 studio says its new IP "definitely is NOT a cosmic horror in feudal Japan," which is precisely what I was hoping it was

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"I would say, everything outside of a rather specific, and slightly odd field of 'Cosmic horror in feudal Japan' is an option

CDPR Hadar
(Image credit: CDPR)

If there's one game I would want to follow CDPR's long-awaited sequel The Witcher 4, it would be a cosmic horror game set in feudal Japan - and I mean that sincerely! In fact, CDPR, with its spectacular worldbuilding, is one of the few studios I would trust to pull off something so wild. But, sadly, that very specific genre is exactly the only one CDPR has fully ruled out for its new IP, codenamed Project Hadar.

In a Twitter response to some speculation about Hadar, CDPR co-CEO Michal Nowakowski shut down just one of the ideas that was floated. "Can only tell it's definitely NOT a cosmic horror in feudal Japan ;)," he said. "Time will come, we will spill the beans. Worry not :)"

Little has been said of Project Hadar so far, but we know it's among many upcoming CDPR games currently in some form of development. With Phantom Liberty out the door and putting a bow on Cyberpunk 2077, CDPR has moved its focus to The Witcher 4 with "the largest part" of its development team working on the sequel. The next Witcher game will mark the beginning of a brand new trilogy, and on top of that there's a spin-off codenamed Sirius and a Witcher remake on the way that'll build on the technology used for The Witcher 4.  Finally, there's the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, codenamed Orion. Phew.

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We don't know exactly where Project Hadar fits into such a busy calendar for CDPR, but we know it's technically been in development since 2021. We haven't heard anything about it for some time, but at least we know it's still in the works, which is a good thing despite the obvious missed opportunity that is CDPR ruling out a cosmic horror game in feudal Japan.

You're sure to find something to scare you silly in our list of the best horror games.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick
Staff Writer

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.