CD Projekt Red CEO Hopes The Witcher 4 Will Restore Player Trust After Cyberpunk 2077's Rocky Launch
CDPR's joint CEO Michał Nowakowski admits the studio lost some players' faith "indefinitely" following Cyberpunk 2077's troubled release, and sees The Witcher 4 as a crucial opportunity to win back trust.
CD Projekt Red's joint CEO Michał Nowakowski has acknowledged that the studio may never fully regain the trust of some players following Cyberpunk 2077's disastrous launch, but he's hoping The Witcher 4 will mark a turning point for the company's reputation.
In a recent interview, Nowakowski was surprisingly candid about the studio's redemption arc—or lack thereof.
"I'm not 100 percent convinced we went through the full redemption arc. I'm convinced that we lost the faith of some people indefinitely, and that's a fair thing,"
he said.
"But I do hope we will be able to make it back – if not with The Witcher 4, then with whatever comes next."
The admission comes despite Cyberpunk 2077 ultimately becoming a fan-favorite after extensive post-launch support, even surpassing The Witcher 3 as CDPR's top-performing title and main revenue contributor. However, Nowakowski emphasized that the studio's reputation remains its "biggest asset," describing the troubled release period as a "heartbreaking" time for the team.
CDPR is currently ramping up development on both The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2, with expanded teams working on the sequels. The Witcher 4 won't launch in 2026, while a third expansion for The Witcher 3, titled Songs of the Past, is slated for 2027. Cyberpunk 2 is being developed on Unreal Engine 5 by CDPR's North American studios in Boston and Vancouver, and the original game is also getting a standalone VR experience through a partnership with Zero Latency VR.