Support NeoGAF

[Draugoth]

​

Don't expect to play The Witcher remake or Cyberpunk 2077's sequel anytime soon, as CD Projekt Red says The Witcher 4 is "the most advanced" of its projects​

via VG247

Sasko recently made an appearance on the Flow Games podcast, where he explained that most of the studio's projects are in the "early stages." What that says to me is "yes they're coming, no we won't have anything to show for a while," so I would stay patient with them. However, Sasko did reaffirm that The Witcher 4 should be fully kicking into production soon, saying, "The only difference is the Polaris project, so the new Witcher saga, that will enter production. That is the most advanced of all of those." This really isn't all that much of a surprise, as back in May CD Projekt Red provided an update on how many of its staff are working on various projects, with 407 team members working on Polaris, or The Witcher 4, as of the end of April, 2024.

Sasko also noted that The Molasses Flood, the team behind the aforementioned Project Sirius (which doesn't seem to be going entirely smoothly) is working with the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel directly in the new Boston-based studio he's heading up. All in all, it sounds like you'll still be waiting a while before seeing anything concrete from CD Projekt Red about any of its projects, so I hope you've got a Cyberpunk or Witcher 3 replay planned.

 

[Elbereth]

Considering both were genre defining, I’m okay with this.

 

[Arachnid]

Half a decade or more for dev time is legit the worst thing about current gaming.

 

[SimTourist]

Yeah next CP is good 10 years away lol

 

[Xtib81]

No shit sherlock. Neither CP2 or the witcher remake are coming out before the end of this decade. That's sad, but that's the state of the industry nowadays. CP2 on PS6 pro though !!

 

[Arsic]

I would love to see them invest in a team that does smaller scale quick projects.

Like a Witcher ARPG project. Doesn’t need to compete with a Diablo or path of exile but just a smaller scale 20 hour romp like a van hellsing.

Or cyberpunk game akin to disco Elysium and citizen sleeper.

 

[BennyBlanco]

I would love to see them invest in a team that does smaller scale quick projects.

Like a Witcher ARPG project. Doesn’t need to compete with a Diablo or path of exile but just a smaller scale 20 hour romp like a van hellsing.

Or cyberpunk game akin to disco Elysium and citizen sleeper.

Like this?

 

[Švejk]

They're probably already in the process of having to rewrite scripts due to hiring that Insomniac writer DEI woman.

 

[Represent.]

We will legitimately have an official GTA7 logo before CP2078 is out.

 

[StueyDuck]

There's a whole lot there that needs to change for modern audiences.

Plus that trigger warning splash screen on startup is tough stuff to make

 

[amigastar]

Half a decade or more for dev time is legit the worst thing about current gaming.

Yep, it's annoying that games take 6 and more years to develop.

 

[timothet]

No shit sherlock. Neither CP2 or the witcher remake are coming out before the end of this decade. That's sad, but that's the state of the industry nowadays. CP2 on PS6 pro though !!

I can see the remake making its way around 2029. But Cyberpunk sequel and W4? That's next decade definitely.

I would love to see them invest in a team that does smaller scale quick projects.

Like a Witcher ARPG project. Doesn’t need to compete with a Diablo or path of exile but just a smaller scale 20 hour romp like a van hellsing.

Or cyberpunk game akin to disco Elysium and citizen sleeper.

They do have smaller studio "The Molasses Flood" in Boston. Though their project was recently rebooted so we won't see anything from them anytime soon too.

 

[FoxMcChief]

Half a decade or more for dev time is legit the worst thing about current gaming.

Yup. And remakes/remasters.

 

[SantaC]

Didnt know there was a witcher remake. How far out is witcher 4?

 

[Jakk]

As far as I know, Fool's Theory is developing the Witcher remake, not CDPR themselves. However, they are supervising the project and yes, it is still in early stages.

 

[Shubh_C63]

They are aiming for Rockstar level of nonsense.

I am fine with 10 years. Lets see what my future wife and kid have it for me in the future.

 

[Arsic]

Like this?

Exactly.

More games like this to help tide things over.

 

[Dazraell]

I can see the remake making its way around 2029. But Cyberpunk sequel and W4? That's next decade definitely.

Witcher 4 will come first out of these games. It's definitely coming this decade and will be on PS5 and Xbox Series (CDPR states their new approach is to have playable builds for each target platforms at each stage of development). It's in the most advanced stage of development out of these games. TW1 Remake is going to be released after Polaris (Witcher 4 code-name). There are three main reasons why. The game shares the same engine and backend they did for Polaris, the studio working on this remake only recently started working on it full-time as earlier on they were busy with finishing their own game (The Thaumaturge) and helping out Larian with Baldur's Gate III. This project is also intended to fill up the release gap between Witcher 4 and Witcher 5 (Polaris is planned to be a new trilogy)

 

[Xtib81]

I can see the remake making its way around 2029. But Cyberpunk sequel and W4? That's next decade definitely.

They do have smaller studio "The Molasses Flood" in Boston. Though their project was recently rebooted so we won't see anything from them anytime soon too.

Actually, I'd wager that the witcher 4 will release in 2027. They will start production soon and they have 400+ developers on it. The remake will come After W4.

 

[Paltheos]

Considering both were genre defining, I’m okay with this.

Let's not get crazy. The Witcher is an RPG with more nuanced choices and consequences than usual, and Cyberpunk is a GTA3-style adventure game with a unique aesthetic, but genre-definers they are not.

 

[Dazraell]

I would love to see them invest in a team that does smaller scale quick projects.

Like a Witcher ARPG project. Doesn’t need to compete with a Diablo or path of exile but just a smaller scale 20 hour romp like a van hellsing.

Or cyberpunk game akin to disco Elysium and citizen sleeper.

Fun fact, originally Witcher 1 was planned as the Diablo-eseque action-RPG. They drew very big inspiration from Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance games, but later on they changed the engine to BioWare's Aurora and game started pivoting towards its final iteration



Molasses Flood is working on a spin-off but according to job listings it'll be a multiplayer-focused game. Earlier on CDPR tried to do various spin-offs like Thronebreaker and Gwent: Rogue Mage, but each of them were financial flops. Thronebreaker especially was intially developed as the singleplayer campaign for Gwent game, but later on was expanded to full game and planned to be a beginning of a new series called "The Witcher Tales". I've heard they had plans for several campaigns like Thronebreaker. but tied to other factions. These plans were cancelled after underwhelming sales

 

[Elbereth]

Let's not get crazy. The Witcher is an RPG with more nuanced choices and consequences than usual, and Cyberpunk is a GTA3-style adventure game with a unique aesthetic, but genre-definers they are not.

Appreciate your opinion, but I strongly disagree.

Specifically, Witcher 3. The game released in 2015, and there was no modern RPG during that timeframe that had the scope, narrative, meaty side-quests, consequential choices... Breath of fresh air. Not to mention the legendary DLC.

Cyberpunk being reduced to GTA3 adventure game is comical. I'm not sure if I want to give a dignified response to that. I will simply say, a fair criticism would be the state in which it launched.

All in all, I believe the company is invested in pushing the genre forward. The last two outings really prove that.

 

[Paltheos]

Appreciate your opinion, but I strongly disagree.

Specifically, Witcher 3. The game released in 2015, and there was no modern RPG during that timeframe that had the scope, narrative, meaty side-quests, consequential choices... Breath of fresh air. Not to mention the legendary DLC.

Cyberpunk being reduced to GTA3 adventure game is comical. I'm not sure if I want to give a dignified response to that. I will simply say, a fair criticism would be the state in which it launched.

All in all, I believe the company is invested in pushing the genre forward. The last two outings really prove that.

I hit a sore spot, huh?

Obviously, I could have gone on to list all the other stuff Cyberpunk does: FPS-combat with Deus Ex-like ability trees for approaching scenarios in different manners, for instance, but these all belabor the same point: Nothing that it does comes together in a manner that creates a new genre. Fundamentally, it's a game with some plot and intrigue where you're set loose on an open world free to do whatever your heart's desire, which usually involves wanton destruction. The cyberpunk aesthetic is what sets it apart. It's a very nice coat of paint, but it is a coat of paint on old ideas. And that's ok. It's a good game.

I'll admit: I was a little mean here. I deliberately cut my description short to see what kind of reaction I'd get. I was hoping for some more imagination.

 

[Hero_Select]

Appreciate your opinion, but I strongly disagree.

Specifically, Witcher 3. The game released in 2015, and there was no modern RPG during that timeframe that had the scope, narrative, meaty side-quests, consequential choices... Breath of fresh air. Not to mention the legendary DLC.

Cyberpunk being reduced to GTA3 adventure game is comical. I'm not sure if I want to give a dignified response to that. I will simply say, a fair criticism would be the state in which it launched.

All in all, I believe the company is invested in pushing the genre forward. The last two outings really prove that.

You can make a case for Witcher 3 absolutely but I don't see how CP2077 can be classified as "genre-defining" when everything is pretty by-the-numbers aside from the amazing visuals on PC

 

[Metnut]

Hopefully Witcher 4 doesn’t end up with the same problem that Cyberpunk had at launch. If Witcher 4 is ready 3-4 years from now then PS5 /Series will be too old but PS6/XBoxPC won’t have big enough of a user base to justify releasing solely for the new platform.

 

[IDKFA]

Half a decade or more for dev time is legit the worst thing about current gaming.

The positive is that dev tims cannot continue getting longer. At this rate, by the time PS6 rolls round it'll take 10 years to make a game. That's not sustainable.

Developers need to start looking into using effective tools that speed up development time and/or trim the fat.

Is hiring motion capture actors, stunt performers and paying Sweet Baby Inc to rewrite the story really a good use of time and money?

 

[Roni]

It's definitely starting to sink in I'm probably going to play two or three sequels of my favorite franchises at best before I'm dead.

 

[Xtib81]

Hopefully Witcher 4 doesn’t end up with the same problem that Cyberpunk had at launch. If Witcher 4 is ready 3-4 years from now then PS5 /Series will be too old but PS6/XBoxPC won’t have big enough of a user base to justify releasing solely for the new platform.

It will undoubtedly be cross gen.

 

[The Cockatrice]

Considering both were genre defining, I’m okay with this.

Half a decade or more for dev time is legit the worst thing about current gaming.

Both these statements are true

 

[Thabass]

I'm glad we needed this gentle reminder that games take a long time to make (or Remake in one of these cases).

 

[ReBurn]

Ok thanks for letting me know

 

[nemiroff]

Is there even one person on this planet that thought otherwise?

 

[Elbereth]

I hit a sore spot, huh?

Obviously, I could have gone on to list all the other stuff Cyberpunk does: FPS-combat with Deus Ex-like ability trees for approaching scenarios in different manners, for instance, but these all belabor the same point: Nothing that it does comes together in a manner that creates a new genre. Fundamentally, it's a game with some plot and intrigue where you're set loose on an open world free to do whatever your heart's desire, which usually involves wanton destruction. The cyberpunk aesthetic is what sets it apart. It's a very nice coat of paint, but it is a coat of paint on old ideas. And that's ok. It's a good game.

I'll admit: I was a little mean here. I deliberately cut my description short to see what kind of reaction I'd get. I was hoping for some more imagination.

A "sore" spot...Because of a difference of opinion? lol

Trust me man, it ain't that serious lol

Also, where are you getting "creates a new genre" from? You literally just pulled that out of thin air. Nowhere in my response did I state that. If you want to have a conversation about it, at least have a shred of integrity.

Cyberpunk executes extremely well on what it set out to achieve. The plot itself was excellent in my opinion, and the flexibility to shape it to a very large degree earns my kudos. The overarching story, the character development, the skills tree variety, the gameplay (except the driving which I thought was hilariously bad) which made you feel like you were truly in a dystopian, cyberpunk adventure. Really, the sum of all its parts. Again, the game for me pushes the genre forward. I feel the same way about BG3. It's not a particular new standout feature that either of the games had, its the execution on what they set out to achieve makes most other modern games in its respective genre pale in comparison. I think there is a valid reason why the games are as acclaimed as they are.

 

[Black_Stride]

Games that were just announced are not coming out any time soon?
I honestly thought games could be made in 16 weeks.
Im sad now.

 

[Sanepar]

Like this?

Never saw this game. it looks awesome thx!

 

[Dr. Wilkinson]

This was known already. Seeing as they didn't enter full production until this year, obviously they're years away. Not to mention polish also will take a long time. Both games are early next-generation.

 

[UltimaKilo]

This was known already. Seeing as they didn't enter full production until this year, obviously they're years away. Not to mention polish also will take a long time. Both games are early next-generation.

I’d like to see CDPR tackle a new IP. Would be cool if they’re really working on a Baulder’s Gate: Dark Alliance type game.