The Witcher 4 Has Completed Its "Research Phase," According To CD Projekt Red

CD Projekt Red has announced that the latest installment in the Witcher saga has completed its "research phase" and is moving forward with development.

The announcement came by way of the Polish developer's Q1 2022 earnings report, where, among other projects, it commented on the status of The Witcher 4, which was announced in March.

Adam Kicinski, CEO of CD Projekt Red, said, "We are very eager to revisit the universe which has shaped our history to such an extent. We have recently concluded the research phase for the first game in the new Witcher saga, which means that from now on further development expenditures will be capitalized on our balance sheet."

This means that The Witcher 4 could be entering pre-production relatively soon, at which point CD Projekt Red will figure out the structure and scale of the game among countless other details.

This is all to say that The Witcher 4 isn't coming anytime soon. Elsewhere, CD Projekt Red commented on the upcoming next-gen version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which is still slated to release in the second half of 2022. Additionally, CD Projekt Red is still working on a major Cyberpunk 2077 expansion for 2023, which Kisinski notes is being made by "the bulk of [CD Projekt Red's] development capacity."

The next Witcher game was announced a few months ago as part of a partnership with Epic that would allow CD Projekt Red to develop the title on Unreal Engine 5 rather than their usual internal engine, RED Engine. Since the announcement, fans have theorized about who might be featured in the next game, with many hoping that Ciri, Geralt's adopted daughter and the crux of The Witcher 3, would return. Artwork of a Witcher medallion that resembled her own accompanied the announcement, further fueling speculation of Ciri's presence, but CD Projekt Red has since confirmed that the medallion points to a whole new school of Witchers, meaning we could be getting a mostly new cast instead.

While it's still unclear when The Witcher 4 will be released, it's safe to assume it will be released on PC and the current generation of consoles.