CD Projekt Red shares 'important development update' for its unknown third franchise called 'Hadar' — 'Work on the project is progressing dynamically, and the team has established the foundations of this entirely new IP'

• CD Projekt Red joint-CEO Michał Nowakowski shared an update on the studio's third franchise, Hadar
• He says work on the project is "progressing dynamically"
• Nowakowski also provided an update on The Witcher 4's development

CD Projekt Red has provided a new update on The Witcher 4's development as well as progress on its mystery third franchise, codenamed Hadar.

Speaking in its annual earnings call, CDPR joint-CEO Michał Nowakowski shared "an important development update" regarding Hadar and confirmed that work on the project is "progressing dynamically, and the team has established the foundations of this entirely new IP."

"Now, we have clearly defined distinguishing features of this world, and established key pillars that will not only provide the foundation for the game itself, but also, potentially, for other future products," Nowakowski said.

"Of course, this does not mean the end of work on IP itself, which will naturally continue to evolve and develop on many fronts over time. The team is now actively designing specific elements that might be included in the game. We are creating multiple prototypes and implementing them directly in Unreal Engine. This allows us to live-test and verify how selected mechanics and gameplay elements can perform."

CDPR first announced project Hadar back in 2022, which the studio calls a new series set in an original universe, but development updates have been quiet until today.

Nowakowski mentioned that, as of the end of February 2026, it had over 900 developers on board, meaning it gained more than 220 developers over the past year.

A chart shows that 26 people were working on Hadar at the end of February this year (thanks, GameSpot).

The co-CEO also shared an update on The Witcher 4, which is reportedly not launching until after 2027. Nowakowski said that, compared to October 2025, most new hires are now part of the team working on the game, "where they help improve quality and scale up solutions presented in the Unreal Fest tech demo across the entire game."

"Having gained greater visibility on the game’s scope, we are strengthening our internal teams while at the same time recruiting top-class talent to provide long-term support in delivering both The Witcher 4 and our future titles," he said.

"Of course, these headcount numbers only reflect the projects we are developing internally. They do not include projects that we do in cooperation with our external partners, including the one we are working on with Fool's Theory." Nowakowski is referring to Fool's Theory's Witcher 1 remake.

CDPR is also developing the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, which now has 149 developers working on it.

On top of a new trilogy of Witcher games that the studio wants to release within a six-year time frame, rumors have been floating around for months that a third expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will arrive this year.

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