CD Projekt Red Details Ambitious Project Hadar, Still Yet to Enter Pre-Production
- CD Projekt Red’s new game, codename Hadar, is described as its largest project, still not in pre-production.
- As of July 31, 33 people were working on Hadar, significantly fewer than on other titles.
- The Witcher 4, targeted for 2028, aims to innovate in narrative and gameplay solutions.
CD Projekt Red (CDPR) has characterized its upcoming game, currently referred to as Hadar, as the studio’s “biggest project to date.” Joint-CEO Michał Nowakowski indicated that reaching this stage has taken “several good years,” but noted that the game has yet to enter pre-production. According to Nowakowski, “At this point we can say that we have a coherent vision of [Hadar’s] world and its key elements. The team has started working on the game, although we’re not quite at the pre-production stage yet. We’re currently developing small prototypes, and we’re also testing gameplay elements.”
Since its announcement four years ago, details about Hadar have been sparse. CDPR confirmed that this new IP will not be based on any existing property, distinguishing it from their previous titles such as The Witcher, which is based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s works, and Cyberpunk 2077, inspired by Mike Pondsmith’s tabletop game.
Back in March, Nowakowski described the project’s development as “progressing dynamically.” He stated that the team has laid the groundwork for this new IP, with clear distinguishing features established for its world. Prototypes have also been developed using Unreal Engine.
As per CDPR’s recent financial report in September, 33 individuals were dedicated to Hadar as of July 31, marking it as a smaller scale project compared to other titles at the studio. At that time, 519 staff were working on The Witcher 4, 184 on Cyberpunk 2, and 84 on the multiplayer Witcher game Project Sirius, which recently experienced layoffs.
In the same interview, Nowakowski highlighted The Witcher 4 as “our most ambitious project to date.” He emphasized a commitment to innovation, stating that the studio intends to “avoid repeating ourselves,” with each game introducing new narrative and gameplay solutions. The release target for The Witcher 4 has been set for 2028.
Additionally, Nowakowski remarked on the successful performance of The Witcher 3’s recent Remastered update, expressing satisfaction with sales, which have remained elevated since the end of the launch discount period. Following the release of the Remastered edition, The Witcher 3 surpassed its previous Steam concurrent player records.
Finally, Nowakowski addressed potential concerns regarding Sony’s plan to halt PlayStation disc production starting in 2028, which could affect physical copies of The Witcher 4. He reiterated that the decision lies with console manufacturers, stating, “A studio doesn’t simply decide to release a game and then distribute the physical version itself. If a particular manufacturer completely shuts down the option to release games on physical media, they simply won’t be available.”
News Courtesy of Eurogamer
