After the stunning reveal trailer for The Witcher IV at The Game Awards 2024, fans might have hoped to see the game in the not-too-distant future. However, CD Projekt RED has now confirmed that there's still a long wait ahead.
During yesterday's fiscal year 2024 earnings conference, they announced that the game won't be launched until at least 2027. Here's the full quote:
Regarding the expected release date for The Witcher IV, we are not going to announce the precise launch date for the game yet. All we could share for now to give more visibility to investors is that the game will not be launched within the timeframe of the first target for the incentive program, which ends on 31 December 2026.
It isn't inconceivable, then, that the two most anticipated fantasy open world roleplaying games, The Elder Scrolls VI and The Witcher IV, might be launched in the same year or at least in relative proximity. Bethesda's game might also debut in late 2027, given that Starfield launched in September 2023, and there is usually a four-year timeframe between their titles.
Following the aforementioned reveal of The Witcher IV, the Polish studio provided some info on the first installment in the new saga:
- As most fans had surmised following the end of the previous chapter, Cirilla Fiona Riannon will be the protagonist. The previous actress (Jo Wyatt) has been replaced by Ciara Berkeley. Having Ciri leading the game also allows the development team to increase player agency since she's just starting her journey as a Witcher, as opposed to Geralt, who had a lot of experience on the job.
- There will be 'super compelling, very meaningful' romances in store for her throughout the game.
- Gwent is in the game.
- The Witcher IV will be around the same size as The Witcher III: Wild Hunt, although the team aims for quality rather than quantity.
In the financial report, CD Projekt RED revealed that 2024 was a solid year despite the lack of new releases. The studio almost reached $260 million in revenue, and the net profit line was the third-best in the group's history. CD Projekt RED also announced that it will soon become the owner of 100% of shares of The Molasses Flood, the Boston-based developer that's working on The Witcher spin-off called Project Sirius. As you might remember, the game was rebooted a couple of years ago. Following the total control of the shares, The Molasses Flood will be fully merged into CD Projekt RED.
