Although online game developers typically experience high turnover among their staff, an executive at CD Projekt Red reveals that many original members of The Witcher 3’s development team remain with the company to this day.
This May marks the tenth anniversary of The Witcher 3, a poignant reminder that time slips away, leaving only nostalgia and longing in its wake. Moreover, this milestone underscores the painful truth that it’s been a full decade since CD Projekt Red last breathed life into the Witcher universe with a new installment. With the developer’s prolific output over the years – including DLC and the underwhelming launch of Cyberpunk 2077 – a natural question arises: has the studio lost its touch, or can they still craft a compelling experience after so long away from the game that started it all? The question arises whether the lengthy hiatus between games in the series could impact the quality of The Witcher 4, given Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s successful release after a decade-long gap.
Given the recent history of CD Projekt Red going through multiple rounds of layoffs, it’s hardly surprising that there aren’t enough developers from The Witcher 3’s original team remaining to revisit the game? As The Witcher 3 approaches its tenth anniversary, co-CEO Michal Nowakowski celebrated the milestone in a recent tweet, stating “The Witcher 3 turns 10 this May.” Approximately 100 members of the development team that built The Witcher series are currently collaborating with us on our upcoming projects, including The Witcher 4. Some team members have been part of the franchise for over a decade, including those who worked on The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings and the original The Witcher, alongside my fellow CEO, Adam Badowski, who has been integral to the series since its inception in 2002.
Despite initial reservations about Ciri’s prominent role (a development that, ultimately, was always a foregone conclusion), it is likely that certain elements from preceding games will still have an impact, at the very least. Given the short preparation time since manufacturing started in November, let’s not forget that.
