The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past Expansion 'Is, in a Way, a Prologue' for the Series' Future

CD Projekt's newly-revealed The Witcher 3 enlargement Songs of the Past volition assistance acceptable the signifier for the upcoming The Witcher 4, the developer has suggested.

While telling a standalone communicative starring Geralt acceptable aft the events of The Witcher 3, the caller escapade volition besides enactment arsenic a sort-of prologue to CD Projekt's adjacent large blockbuster, according to the company's associated CEO Michał Nowakowski.

Speaking to investors, Nowakowski was questioned connected however the enlargement is being positioned successful the franchise, wherefore it is present launching successful 2027 (after antecedently being expected this year) and whether immoderate of CD Projekt's caller trilogy of The Witcher games volition besides person expansions, arsenic The Witcher 3 has (don't clasp your breath).

"First and foremost, we truly wanted to present a large acquisition to the fans, a truly chill enlargement that's going to marque radical blessed that they tin travel backmost to The Witcher 3 setting," Nowakowski said, discussing wherefore Songs of the Past was being made.

"Of course, indirectly, yes, it is simply a reminder [of the franchise for fans]. It is, successful a way, a prologue, though it's not a prologue successful a verbatim mode of [being] a prologue for the existent The Witcher 4. Yes, you tin look astatine it arsenic it's a mode to support definite chatter connected The Witcher 3. All of those are broadside effects, further broadside effects. The halfway happening for us, from our perspective, is truly delivering a high-quality, amusive acquisition to the existing fans of The Witcher."

During a livestream yesterday aimed astatine The Witcher fans, CD Projekt gave a fewer further hints connected the expansion's focus, teasing the value of Geralt's caller 3rd sword — arsenic glimpsed successful a caller portion of artwork released to observe a springtime festival. Geralt's bard buddy Dandelion is besides present.

"We had a infinitesimal wherever our plans assumed that Songs of the Past would beryllium released this year," Nowakowski said, erstwhile questioned wherefore the enlargement was launching aboriginal than expected.

"We decided unneurotic with the improvement team, that the crippled volition beryllium launching successful 2027, to beryllium honest, to execute the champion imaginable effect from the user standpoint, which successful the end, frankly speaking, is the lone eventual happening that truly matters."

CD Projekt's latest fiscal results amusement the institution reported Q1 gross of 191 cardinal PLN ($52.5 million), up year-on-year, and nett net of 106 cardinal PLN ($29 million). "These results stem from coagulated income of our cardinal titles and the gross from their inclusion successful the subscription catalogues," said CD Projekt CFO Piotr Nielubowicz.

The institution presently employs 975 people, a headcount that has grown by much than 40 since February. The immense bulk of its unit (now implicit 500) are moving connected The Witcher 4, portion 163 radical are assigned to Cyberpunk 2. Around 80 radical are moving connected multiplayer Witcher spinoff Project Sirius, portion 24 are gathering the studio's caller IP codenamed Hadar.

There's inactive nary connection connected erstwhile The Witcher 4 mightiness arrive, but CD Projekt has an highly ambitious program to motorboat it positive The Witcher 5 and 6 each successful a six-year clip period. It's this program which fundamentally rules retired the anticipation of further enlargement contented being made anytime soon, Nowakowski concluded.

"The plans are beauteous ambitious," Nowakowski acknowledged. "It would beryllium difficult, to beryllium precise honest, for america to adhd an enlargement to the upcoming trilogy. This is wherever we are present and present with this peculiar issue."

Separately, CD Projekt besides celebrated the information that its Cyberpunk Trading Card Game run raised $28 cardinal via Kickstarter, making it the platform's astir palmy gaming task ever, and the third-largest Kickstarter run of each time.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social