Nearly a decade after the initial release of the last game inThe Witcherfranchise, developer CD Projekt RED has an update on the next game in the series, codenamed “Polaris”. Polaris, along with an upcomingCyberpunk 2077sequel codenamed “Orion”, had previously been teased by CDPR. With both projects still in the early stages of development, little has been revealed about them, and both games are still presumably years away from release.
In a post celebrating notable sales milestones forCyberpunk 2077and itsPhantom LibertyDLC, however,CD Projekt REDhas also announced thatPolaris has moved past the preproduction stage and “moved on to full-scale production”,meaning that the game is in a more active stage of development. The post also calls Polaris the first game in “the new Witcher trilogy”, confirming previous statements from developers that the game will be a departure from the first three games in the series.
The Next Witcher Game Is Moving Into Full-Scale Development
Development On Project Polaris Is Progressing, But The Game Is Probably Still Years Away From Release
Aside from the update regarding the game’s development, however,there’s relatively little news on Polaris, and it’s still unknown exactly what CDPR has planned for the game or when it might release. While the game being past pre-production is good news for fans, the start of active development still means there’s plenty of work to do before the game is ready for release.Polaris is likely still multiple years away from launch, and the game could still undergo drastic changes before it’s even officially revealed.
Sorry Witcher Fans, You’ll Be Waiting A Lot Longer For The Witcher 4
The newest official information on the future of The Witcher franchise proves that the next game still isn’t coming at any point in the near future.
After an especially long wait sinceThe Witcher 3’s release in 2015, though, it’s still good to have an update on the status of the next game in the series, especially as the game’s developers hint thatPolaris will be the start of an ambitious new trilogy in the franchise. Nine years after release,The Witcher 3is still highly regarded as one of the best RPGs on the market, and hopefully, Polaris can follow suit.
Polaris Is Just One Of CDPR’s Many Upcoming Games
CD Projekt RED Is Working On Several Games Across Different IPs
Of course, with this update coming nine years after the release ofThe Witcher 3,the gap between that game and Polaris is the longest the series has ever seen, presumably owing in part to CDPR’s development and release ofCyberpunk 2077. Currently, the developer is working on multiple projects, includingThe Witcher’s Polaris,Cyberpunk’s Orion, and a project for an unknown new IP, codenamed Hadar. Alongside those projects, CDPR is also supporting the development of two otherWitchergames from different studios,a remake of the firstWitcherand a spinoff game codenamed Sirius.
Unfortunately, most of CDPR’s projects, including Polaris, still seem like they’re currently far from release, meaning that fans still have to wait potentially for years until the next installment inThe Witcherfranchise. Hopefully, as the development of Polaris moves into full-scale production,The Witcher’s next game will be able to avoid the development woes of something likeCyberpunk 2077.
