The Witcher 4 gets a boost as CD Projekt Red says it will start parallel AAA projects in 2022

Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)

CD Projekt Red is making more Witcher and more Cyberpunk, with plans to work on both franchises simultaneously.

The company shared some fresh insight into its development plans during a financial presentation today, where it revealed how it's setting up to keep work going on the two franchises simultaneously. CD Projekt Red says it's shifting its development framework to allow it to start making multiple AAA games and expansions in parallel, beginning next year - and yes, that's good news for everybody waiting on The Witcher 4.

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"We are planning to build cross-functional teams to work on both IPs," head of production Paweł Zawodny explained in the presentation. "These teams will blend disciplines and expertise, so we have closer communication and skill sharing going on from the beginning. Cross-functional teams allow different aspects of development to run in tandem without complication."

CD Projekt Red confirmed during the presentation that it will continue to focus on single-player RPGs while also pursuing new opportunities for both the Witcher and Cyberpunk franchises. Speaking of which, CD Projekt Red also revealed that it is purchasing one of its development partners for Cyberpunk 2077, which may contribute to its newly reconsidered vision for multiplayer games.

Digital Scapes is a Vancouver-based studio "specializing in AAA multiplayer, console and PC gameplay," and it's been collaborating with CD Projekt on Cyberpunk 2077 ever since 2018. Given that expertise and its new official status as CD Projekt Red Vancouver - the company's first full-fledged game development studio outside of Poland - it's likely they'll have a big impact CDPR's new online plans.

CD Projekt Red's roadmap for Cyberpunk 2077 is still all about updates, DLC, and the next-gen version - and that includes the ability for V to sleep like a normal person.

Connor Sheridan

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.