At long last, CDPR has finally referred to the next game in its upcoming The Witcher saga as "Witcher 4," but it seems as though this may have been a "slip of the tongue" from the studio's CEO. Despite the backlash over Cyberpunk 2077's controversial launch at the end of 2020, CD Projekt Red is in great financial shape, helped by the fact that the dystopian sci-fi RPG has been through significant changes to make it better, not to mention all the upcoming projects from the Polish developer.
Given the code name "Polaris," a new game in the overarching Witcher series is currently in development and will form part of the next saga in the fantasy franchise. Since it was announced in 2022, CDPR has insisted this new Witcher game will not be numbered. In fact, not much is really known about the game or even if this mysterious Polaris is indeed the The Witcher 4. However, it seems as though a nugget of information may have slipped out.
According to a recent report from GamesRadar, CDPR President Adam Kiciński referred to the next game in the company's RPG series as "Witcher 4." During an earnings conference call, the CEO mentioned the desire to release three new games in the developer's The Witcher franchise over the next six years, "starting from the release of Polaris, which is Witcher 4." This suggests the studio could be calling the upcoming project The Witcher 4.
However, Kiciński may not have intended to imply the next game will be called The Witcher 4, as an official email from CD Projekt Red sent to PC Gamer says that Kiciński's statement was a "slip of the tongue." Polaris, according to the studio's clarification, is simply the official name of the first game in the new saga. If so, it's possible calling it number four was just in reference to it being the game coming out after The Witcher 3. Still, it's significant that Kiciński said it during the call, especially as it seems to vindicate all who have been calling the new game The Witcher 4 since March 2022.
As of now, CD Projekt Red is working on a number of games, including a follow-up to Cyberpunk and a remake of the original The Witcher. Along with new things in development, the next era for the studio has seen the team make the jump to Unreal Engine for future projects, signaling the company's departure from its in-house REDEngine that was used to make Cyberpunk and the previous Witcher titles.
On top of that, CD Projekt Red has also spoken about Project Sirius, the multiplayer Witcher game, specifically saying that the title has not been cancelled but is simply going in a different direction. All in all, the developer is going to be busy over the next few years, but the takeaway from this is that The Witcher 4 may not actually be called that in the end, despite what Kiciński said.
A new The Witcher game is currently in development.
Source: GamesRadar, PC Gamer