CD Projekt Red may be hard at work on Cyberpunk 2077, but it seems that the studio has no plans to abandon The Witcher anytime soon. Earlier this week, the studio announced a new licensing deal with Witcher author Andrzej Sapkowski; allowing the studio to continue developing games and merchandise based on his original work.
CD Projekt Red’s License for The Witcher
Of course, CD Projekt Red renewing the Witcher license doesn’t mean that they are working on another Witcher game. It just means that they will continue to have that option in the future. Indeed, it’s worth noting that the studio continues to sell Witcher merch and develop new content for GWENT: The Witcher Card Game; both of which they might have to stop doing if the license were to expire. However, the likelihood of CD Projekt Red returning to the world of the Witcher for a full RPG title in the future is relatively likely.
In fact, it’s known that CD Projekt Red is currently working on another, secret, project besides Cyberpunk 2077. No details about that game have been announced so far, other than that it is planned to release by 2021. It’s entirely possible that it could be a fourth Witcher game, although it may not continue Geralt’s story. Studio representatives have previously said that Geralt of Rivia may not return as the main character in any future titles.
For now, Witcher fans will have to see what the future holds. Fortunately, the odds are good that something Witcher-based will emerge from CD Projekt Red at some point. (Even if it’s just smaller spin-offs like Thronebreaker.) The studio is unlikely to make any formal announcements until after the release of Cyberpunk 2077 next year, of course. As an aside, it’s worth noting that this new deal is likely to be much more favourable towards Andrzej Sapkowski. The author has had legal disagreements with the studio in the past, stemming from his belief that he sold the rights to The Witcher to the studio for too little. With the major Witcher Netflix series launching on the same day this new deal was announced, Sapkowski is likely to have received far better compensation this time around.