The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of the best open-world RPG titles of its generation. It sold and was reviewed well by critics at launch.
CDPR even released a well-loved next-gen update for the game. But, while every other company would love to name the next mainline The Witcher game, The Witcher 4, the Polish studio has other ideas.
CD Projekt RED recently went viral after the company's CEO, Adam Kiciński, mentioned the words "The Witcher 4" out loud in the company's most recent investor call.
Now, a statement sent to GamesRadar clarifies that this was a mistake:
This was actually a slip of the tongue. Polaris will be the first game in a new Witcher saga. The saga will consist of three games.
Nobody believes CDPR will settle for a simple name for the fourth The Witcher installment. Save for 2007's The Witcher, the two sequels used eye-catching subtitles. The second game was called The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, while we all know the name of the third game.
It's safe to say that part of what's taking development on not-The Witcher 4 so long as its name.
Kidding aside, most fans welcome Kiciński's recent statement. In addition to calling Project Polaris "The Witcher 4", he also clarified that the company will release "three big Witcher games within six years."
Unfortunately, this doesn't narrow down the release date for the first game in the series' second trilogy. After its confirmation last year, The Witcher 4 welcomed a new director, signaling that it's still very much in early development.
We don't know how long CDPR takes with its games but given that Cyberpunk 2077 took over 5 years to complete, it wouldn't surprise us if The Witcher 4 isn't out until 2028 or 2029.
By then, we'll all be enjoying the next-generation PlayStation and Xbox consoles. We're hoping this isn't the case but it's possible.
In this hypothetical scenario, CDPR might prioritize the release of the remake of the first The Witcher game, and possibly, the second one as well. It's not a half-bad plan if pulled off properly.
For now, fans of the Polish studio can look forward to the release of Phantom Liberty, the first and only premium expansion for Cyberpunk 2077. CDPR promises to reveal more about Phantom Liberty in June.
