CD Projekt Red has described its mysterious new game, which is currently known by its codename Hadar, as its “biggest project to date”, revealing it’s taken “several good years” to reach its current state, and it’s still not even in pre-production.
That’s according to CDPR joint-CEO Michał Nowakowski, who told Polish outlet PAP Biznes (translation by DeepL), “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.”
The Witcher 4 tech demo from a year ago. The game is due 2028.Watch on YouTube
In the four years since its announcement, CDPR has said little about Hadar. However, we do know it won’t be based on any existing property, unlike CD Projekt’s other major titles – The Witcher having been created by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, and Cyberpunk 2077 by TTRPG maker Mike Pondsmith. (Incidentally, I’ve talked to both Sapkowski and Pondsmith about their work in this regard.)
Earlier this year, Nowakowski shared “an important development update” regarding Hadar’s status. “Work on the project is progressing dynamically, and the team has established the foundations of this entirely new IP,” Novakowski said in March. “Now, we have clearly defined distinguishing features of this world, and established key pillars that will not only provide the foundation for the game itself, but also, potentially, for other future products.” He also mentioned that prototypes were being made in Unreal Engine.
We know from CDPR’s most recent financial report in September that there were 33 people working on Hadar as of 31st July, so it’s a small project compared to the studio’s other titles. 519 people were working on The Witcher 4 at last count, 184 on Cyberpunk 2, and 84 on multiplayer Witcher game Project Sirius. However, Project Sirius was recently hit by layoffs.
Elsewhere in the interview, Nowakowski spoke more about The Witcher 4, which he called “our most ambitious project to date”. He also said the studio wanted to “avoid repeating ourselves”, so each game should “introduce new narrative and gameplay solutions” as well as “innovations” in main and side quests. “We want players to be confident that when they sit down to play this title, it pushes the boundaries of what an RPG can be and is technologically advanced,” he said. The Witcher 4 was recently given a release target of 2028.
He also referenced the recent Remastered update for The Witcher 3, saying the company was “pleased” with sales, which “remain at a higher level than before the remaster”, even now the launch discount period has ended. The Witcher 3 broke its Steam concurrent player records after the Remastered edition was released.
Finally, Nowakowski discussed the impact of Sony’s decision to phase out PlayStation disc production starting 2028 – putting a possible Witcher 4 physical release in jeopardy. He reiterated much of what he’s said before on the matter, saying that because console manufacturers make the discs, there isn’t much CDPR can do if they decide to cease production. “A studio doesn’t simply decide to release a game and then distribute the physical version itself,” he said. “If a particular manufacturer completely shuts down the option to release games on physical media, they simply won’t be available.”