CDPR CEO Looks to The Witcher 4 to Restore Player Trust after Cyberpunk 2077's troubled Launch
"I'm convinced that we lost the faith of some people indefinitely."
CD Projekt Red
CD Projekt Red's joint CEO Michał Nowakowski hopes The Witcher 4 will help rebuild trust with players the studio lost after Cyberpunk 2077's launch.
In an interview for Edge's Knowledge newsletter, as spotted by GamesRadar+, the CDPR head said that after the troubled release, which was a "heartbreaking" time for the studio, it lost the "faith" of some players "indefinitely."
"I'm not 100 percent convinced we went through the full redemption arc," Nowakowski says. "I'm convinced that we lost the faith of some people indefinitely, and that's a fair thing. But I do hope we will be able to make it back – if not with The Witcher 4, then with whatever comes next."
That may sound surprising, given that Cyberpunk 2077 ultimately became a fan-favorite and even surpassed The Witcher 3 to become the studio's top-performing title and main revenue contributor. However, the studio's reputation remains its "biggest asset," according to the CEO, and CD Projekt Red is committed to making up for the game's difficult launch, with The Witcher 4 seen as the next opportunity to do so.
CD Projekt Red
Currently, CDPR is actively working on Cyberpunk 2 and The Witcher 4, and the teams for the sequels have been increased. As for the release window, The Witcher 4 will not launch in 2026; meanwhile, the third expansion for The Witcher 3, titled Songs of the Past, will be released in 2027.
Cyberpunk 2, previously codenamed Project Orion, was revealed in October 2022 and is being developed with Unreal Engine 5 by a North American division that comprises studios in Boston and Vancouver. As for Cyberpunk 2077, it is getting a standalone VR experience, co-developed by CD Projekt Red and Zero Latency VR.
Subscribe to our Newsletter, join our 80 Level Talent platform, and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, and Instagram, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.
Are you a fan of what we do here at 80 Level? Then make sure to set us as a Preferred Source on Google to see more of our content in your feed.
