CD Projekt Red Co-CEO Hopes The Witcher 4 Can Win Back Fans After Cyberpunk 2077's 'Heartbreaking' Launch

CD Projekt Red co-CEO Michał Nowakowski admits the studio hasn't fully completed its 'redemption arc' after Cyberpunk 2077's troubled launch, but he's optimistic that The Witcher 4 can help regain player trust. In a recent interview with Edge (via GamesRadar), Nowakowski reflected on the 'heartbreaking' launch that disappointed both the team and fans. 'I'm not 100% convinced we went through the full redemption arc,' he said. 'I'm convinced that we lost the faith of some people indefinitely, and that's a fair thing.' Nearly six years after Cyberpunk 2077's release—which squandered much of the goodwill from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt—the game has since been heavily patched and sold over 35 million copies. However, Nowakowski believes there's still work to be done. 'I do hope we will be able to make it back – if not with The Witcher 4, then with whatever comes next,' he stated. He also discussed how the studio evolved post-launch, emerging with 'seasoned, battle-hardened veterans' capable of handling new challenges. While CD Projekt Red aims to produce more games, Nowakowski emphasized they don't want to flood the market with annual releases. 'We have a rough 10-year rolling plan, but the goal is not to flood the games market with CDPR games. We just want to make really cool games,' he said. Though Cyberpunk 2077 development is largely complete and The Witcher 4 lacks a release date, fans can look forward to upcoming projects like The Witcher 3 expansion Songs of the Past (expected in 2027), the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel Cyberpunk 2 (now in pre-production), and a Witcher remake.