The Witcher 4 Staff and Other Trivia From Interview With CD Projekt's CEO
Adam Kicinski, in his last interview as CEO of CD Projekt, talked about the company's upcoming projects.
Adam Kicinski, the CEO of CD Projekt, was interviewed by Parkiet [in Polish]. He talked about upcoming games, as well as the future of the company.
Upcoming projects
- Work on Project Polaris (i.e., the new installment of The Witcher) is proceeding swiftly. Currently, the team working on the game consists of more than 330 people and is expected to increase to about 400 in the next six months. Don't expect the company to announce a planned release date anytime soon. Having learned from their experience with CP2077 the developers prefer to wait before announcing a specific date.
- The company is also ramping up work on Orion, the sequel to Cyberpunk 2077. The concept stage has been going on for quite some time now, and the developers now have a good idea of what the game is supposed to be. However, the development will not start in full swing for some time, as the team in Boston responsible for the project is still being built. CD Projekt's Vancouver branch will also help with the work, as will developers in Poland.
- Work is also still underway on Project Sirius, a game set in The Witcher universe, developed by The Molasses Flood. Added to this is a remake of the first The Witcher from Fool's Theory.
- So there are four projects in the pipeline, but none of them will be released anytime soon. Nevertheless, CD Projekt has plans to develop its brands next year, but for now it's too early for any details. Most likely, however, it is about projects in other media, such as books or comics. In the interview, Kicinski praises the success Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, which has also boosted sales of the game. There are plans for a live-action adaptation, and the company has already found a partner for this project, although for now the whole thing is at a very early stage of work.
- The interview also touched on Project Hadar, which is to be CD Projekt's third IP. Currently, the game is in the concept stage and the creators are busy inventing the world. It is too early for any details. All that is known is that it will be an RPG with an open world.
The company's future
- This year CD Projekt has carried out sizable layoffs. The company's workforce is expected to remain rather stable in 2024, and only in 2025 is a large increase expected.
- The company currently has no plans to acquire any development studios, such an option remains on the table if it could accelerate the company's strategy.
- CD Projekt is also determined to remain independent. The company does not want to join any large entity, and there are provisions in the company's charter to prevent hostile takeovers. As Kicinski commented:
"We are not interested in being incorporated into some larger entity. We have worked all our lives for the position we have now, and we believe that in a few years we will be even bigger and even stronger. We have ambitious plans, and we are strongly passionate about what we do. We value independence."
- CD Projekt also intends to cover all investments and all of its operations with its own funds.
- The company is pleased with how it managed to save Cyberpunk 2077. Currently, the game is performing how the players expected, and Phantom Liberty has been received very warmly.
It is worth recalling that Adam Kicinski will cease to be CEO of the company in the near future. As of January 1, 2024, this role will be filled by Adam Badowski and Michal Nowakowski. Kicinski himself will become the so-called Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), and wants to join the company's Supervisory Board in 2025. He assured that he intends to remain associated with CD Projekt and has no new businesses planned.
