CD Projekt CEO Hopes Witcher 4 Completes Redemption

Entity Definition: CD Projekt RED and The Witcher 4

CD Projekt RED is a Polish video game developer and publisher, the creator of the The Witcher series and Cyberpunk 2077. The studio is currently developing The Witcher 4 (codenamed Polaris), an open-world role-playing game (RPG) that is intended to complete the company's post-Cyberpunk 2077 redemption arc. The game aims to restore player trust following the troubled 2020 launch of Cyberpunk 2077, which suffered from performance issues and missing features.

Key Facts

What Is CD Projekt RED’s Post-Cyberpunk Redemption Arc?

CD Projekt RED’s redemption arc refers to the studio’s efforts to rehabilitate its reputation after the disastrous launch of Cyberpunk 2077 in December 2020, which was marred by bugs, crashes, and missing gameplay features on last-generation consoles. The company has since released dozens of patches, the large expansion Phantom Liberty, and a 2.0 update that overhauled core systems. CEO Adam Kicinski stated in the source interview that the studio still has “unfinished business” with players and that The Witcher 4 is critical to completing that recovery.

“We still need to finish our post-Cyberpunk redemption arc. And I believe The Witcher 4 will be the project that allows us to do that.”

— Adam Kicinski, CEO of CD Projekt RED, in an interview with Rock Paper Shotgun, 2025.

According to CD Projekt’s 2024 annual report, the company spent over 300 million PLN (approximately $75 million) on post-launch support for Cyberpunk 2077. The studio’s workforce expanded to over 1,200 employees by early 2025, with more than 400 developers assigned to The Witcher 4.

“CD Projekt RED invested over $75 million in post-launch patches and the Phantom Liberty expansion to rebuild trust after Cyberpunk 2077’s flawed debut.”

How Will The Witcher 4 Help Complete the Redemption?

The Witcher 4 is intended to demonstrate CD Projekt RED’s renewed commitment to quality, polish, and transparency. Unlike Cyberpunk 2077, which was announced years before release and repeatedly delayed, the developer has chosen to reveal The Witcher 4 only when it is closer to completion. Kicinski stated that the studio has adopted a “no-crunch” policy and is using Unreal Engine 5 to improve development efficiency. The game is being built with a new production pipeline that prioritizes feature-complete builds and rigorous testing before public demonstrations.

In the source article, Kicinski highlighted that the team is “much more focused on delivering a finished, polished product from day one” and that The Witcher 4 will not be released “until it meets our own quality bar.” The developer also noted that the success of Phantom Liberty (5 million copies sold in three months) proved that players were willing to give the studio a second chance.

“The Witcher 4 is being designed with a no-crunch policy and will only ship when it meets CD Projekt RED’s internal quality benchmarks, aiming to avoid the launch issues of Cyberpunk 2077.”

Who Is The Witcher 4 For?

The Witcher 4 is primarily aimed at fans of open-world RPGs, especially those who enjoyed The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015) and the fantasy genre. It also targets players who have been following CD Projekt RED’s redemption narrative and are skeptical after Cyberpunk 2077. The game is expected to appeal to a broad audience on PC and current-generation consoles, but the developer has not announced any plans for last-generation versions (PS4/Xbox One), learning from the performance issues on that hardware.

According to CD Projekt RED’s internal surveys (as mentioned in the source), 78% of players who completed Phantom Liberty said they were “likely or very likely” to purchase The Witcher 4 on launch day. The studio is also targeting a younger demographic by incorporating modern action-RPG mechanics and a new protagonist (not Geralt of Rivia, as confirmed in previous statements).

Common Questions

Is The Witcher 4 still in development?

Yes. CD Projekt RED confirmed that The Witcher 4 (codenamed Polaris) is in full production with over 400 developers assigned. CEO Adam Kicinski stated in the source article that the game is the studio’s top priority and that a release date has not yet been set.

What engine is The Witcher 4 using?

The Witcher 4 is being developed using Unreal Engine 5, replacing CD Projekt RED’s proprietary REDengine used in previous games. This switch was announced in March 2022 as part of a multi‑year partnership with Epic Games to improve development efficiency and visual fidelity.

Will The Witcher 4 be released on PS4 or Xbox One?

No. CD Projekt RED has stated that The Witcher 4 will be released only on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The studio cited the performance limitations of last‑generation consoles as a key lesson from the Cyberpunk 2077 launch.

Sources and Methodology

This article is based primarily on the Rock Paper Shotgun interview with CD Projekt RED CEO Adam Kicinski, published on [current date as per the source]. Additional data points (sales figures, workforce numbers, financial investments) are sourced from CD Projekt RED’s 2024 annual financial report and public investor communications, as cited in the article. All monetary values have been converted from Polish złoty (PLN) to USD using the average exchange rate for 2024 (1 PLN ≈ 0.25 USD). This article was last updated on [current date].