CD Projekt Red explains why its multiplayer ‘Witcher’ game was “re-evaluated”

CD Projekt Red has explained why it was the “right decision” to send multiplayer Witcher game Project Sirius back to the drawing board, and hinted that the game may have been restarted entirely.

Last week, it was reported that a co-op game set in The Witcher’s universe – code-named Project Sirius – was being re-evaluated within CD Projekt Red, costing the studio an additional £1.7million in expenses.

Now (via VGC), CD Projekt Red has outlined why the step back was necessary for Project Sirius.

“I’m aware that it’s not great to hear from a company that the project is being re-evaluated,” said chief financial officer Piotr Nielubowicz during an earnings presentation.

“But at the same time, in order to stay innovative we must experiment and be brave when trying new paths, and to stay in control and keep the right course, especially with a project that is new to us in terms of design, developed by a new studio in our family.”

Nielubowicz added that CD Projekt Red will “keep evaluating the situation as we move along,” and explained that it’s “better to cut costs early – and even restart if needed – than to carry on”.

In a follow-up Q&A, CD Projekt Red CEO Adam Kiciński added that it was a “tough decision to make,” but the company ultimately believes “it was the right one”.

“We don’t want to carry on with projects that we are not aligned with,” explained Kiciński, who clarified “that’s all we’d like to share about Project Sirius for now”.

However, Project Sirius is just one of the Witcher games in development at CD Projekt Red. The first Witcher game is getting a “full-fledged” Unreal Engine 5 remake, while the company is also working on a whole new trilogy for the series.

Following the trilogy’s announcement, Sebastian Kalemba was confirmed as the upcoming saga’s game director.