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[LectureMaster]

https://www.gamesradar.com/games/the-witcher/dont-expect-a-witcher-4-expansion-cdpr-says-it-would-be-difficult-to-make-extra-content-when-its-already-trying-to-squeeze-3-witcher-games-into-6-years/

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CD Projekt Red hopes to finish the new Witcher saga beginning with The Witcher 4 within six years, which is a tall order in its own right for a trilogy of hefty RPGs. Consequently, the studio doesn't see much room for expansions a la The Witcher 3's Blood and Wine or the newly announced Songs of the Past, suggesting the new games won't receive any major add-ons.

CDPR joint CEO Michał Nowakowski fielded a question about potential expansions for the new Witcher saga during the company's latest earnings call.

The question was: "Given the very ambitious project pipeline, does the company see room for developing expansions for the new Witcher saga?"

Nowakowski is doubtful. "As you mentioned in the question, the plans are pretty ambitious," he begins. "Specifically, it's to release three Witcher games within a six-year period. It would be difficult, to be very honest, for us to add an expansion to the upcoming trilogy. This is where we are here and now with this particular issue."


The Witcher 3 received numerous small add-ons over the years, as well as two major expansions. The game was released in May 2015, and its first expansion, Hearts of Stone, arrived in October 2015. In May 2016, the Blood and Wine expansion arrived. In this same call, CDPR suggested that Songs of the Past, set for 2027, is close to Blood and Wine in scope.

The expansions released for The Witcher 3 managed a pretty high attach rate and ended up delivering quests and moments that many call the peak of the series, so it may be a bit of a bummer to hear that The Witcher 4 and its follow-ups won't get the same room to breathe.

The obvious counterpoint is that, if CDPR can stick to its six-year plan for the new Witcher saga (and I'll bet my bottom dollar it cannot, purely because game dev almost never goes according to even the best of plans), we shouldn't go more than a few years without a whole new RPG. However it shakes out, The Witcher fans will hopefully be eating better than their fellows across the pond: The Elder Scrolls fans, perpetually hungry for something, anything new.

 

[LectureMaster]

So they are still touting the narrative they could release a whole trilogy within 6 years....

 

[Bojji]

So they are still touting the narrative they could release a whole trilogy within 6 years....

I mean, it technically possible if they build most of the assets for TW4 and then just mix up and reuse them.

But I still don't believe they are gonna pull this off without delays.

 

[Seyken]

Delusional.

And I'm still hoping it won't be a trilogy with Ciri as the protagonist for all 3 games and that they just let me create my own witcher at some point.

 

[L*][*N*K]

Delusional.

And I'm still hoping it won't be a trilogy with Ciri as the protagonist for all 3 games and that they just let me create my own witcher at some point.

You are being delusional.

 

[MagiusNecros]

Witcher 5 and Witcher 6 are just going to be expansions of Witcher 4.

 

[cormack12]

I've already burned through the current Witcher 4 content. What bullshit is this.

 

[Seyken]

You are being delusional.

If she can't carry 3 games by herself, they will have to pivot.

I don't think she will have the same star power as Geralt.

And plus, we're talking 3 huge games probably. The Witcher 1 and 2 were smaller in scale compared to 3. Fatigue can and will happen if they're not careful.

 

[Filben]

Witcher 5 and Witcher 6 are just going to be expansions of Witcher 4.

Yeah, at a certain point it doesn't matter what you call it. As long as it's meaningful content and new stories, I don't care if it's an expansion or new game.

But within 6 years? ha, never.

 

[Hawk The Slayer]

I would have said impossible but I'll wait to see if FFVII Remake Part 3 actually comes out early 2027 and is at least as big as Rebirth which was massive and that would be 3 years apart.

So if both of those becomes true next year that I could actually see Witcher 5 being out 3 years after 4 and 6 being out 3 years after 5.

 

[ValiantInstance]

So they're implying time that would be spent making expansions will instead go towards further games.

They've learned nothing unfortunately. Let's see if they still say the same after releasing Witcher 4. A game that will probably sell 10 million copies in it's launch year and they're not going to try and make more off that install base? Press X to doubt.

 

[Tobimacoss]

And they're making Cyberpunk 2 on top of all that.

Should've kept to a 10-12 year timeline, would be more believable.

 

[TaciturnWolf]

FFVII Remake Trilogy will be completed within a span of seven years so it's not impossible.

 

[Thebonehead]

"Toss a coin to your dev.
Oh valley of sequels"

 

[Laptop1991]

They say that now, but made new dlc for the Witcher 3 over 10 years later, so you never know, i get why they aren't doing while making 3 big games in 6 years, hopefully, i would prefer the bigger games anyway.

 

[Johnny Concrete]

So they're implying time that would be spent making expansions will instead go towards further games.

They've learned nothing unfortunately. Let's see if they still say the same after releasing Witcher 4. A game that will probably sell 10 million copies in it's launch year and they're not going to try and make more off that install base? Press X to doubt.

Full on sequels probably bring in even more money.

But what if they outsourced the expansions? Like they did with the upcoming Witcher 3 one.

 

[Denton]

Spoiler: It will be eight to ten years anyway.

 

[The Cockatrice]

We all know we're going to get expansions and then theyll say "well yeah, due to blablabla, we need more time to release Witcher 5 blablabla we lied blablabla". This is just mkt bs.

 

[balls of snow]

8 years minimum for the whole nu-trilogy. In between releases just subcon devs for a new Cyberpunk 2077 expansion.

 

[StueyDuck]

Yeah... just focus on one game. Make it good, dont cyberpunk it at launch

 

[Skifi28]

I wouldn't expect one now, but in 15 years it's very likely.

 

[ValiantInstance]

Full on sequels probably bring in even more money.

But what if they outsourced the expansions? Like they did with the upcoming Witcher 3 one.

We shall see. Personally I believe this statement as much that they still think 3 games in 6 years is the plan.

Just sounds like more nonsense from CDPR talking heads. They never learn.

 

[TaciturnWolf]

What I'm getting from this is that Witcher 6 expansions are not out of the question..

 

[Dorfdad]

Quite easy actually especially if they all share the same engine, they probably just building them all three out as one big storyline and continuing them as new games.

Regardless can we get a switch 2 upgrade of Witcher 3 before this!??

 

[evanft]

I don't think this trilogy is ever gonna happen.

 

[HRK69]

Delusional.

You are acting like CD Projekt Red cancelled something that was already promised, when in reality The Witcher 4 barely exists publicly beyond a reveal

 

[Audiophile]

Tbf, they're not making three games in 6 years. They're making one in ~6 years while also simultaneously laying the foundation of two more which will each have ~3 years of full dev. With a release schedule of 6 years they can even delay the first title and still technically hit that goal. With their manpower and hopefully lessons learned after the CP2077 launch in terms of streamlining development, I don't think it's quite as far fetched as it first sounds. Being so public about the plan if they didn't believe it would also be pretty crazy considering how bad CP2077 went at launch.

 

[Hudo]

My old ass thinks that's good news. I hate that developers and, more vocally, gamers expect games to be all "supported" and basically be "live-service"-like. And gamers call a game dead when the devs stop updating it simply because the game is finished.

 

[Gusy]

Song of the Past similar to Blood and Wine in scope? Holy shit.

This is now the release I'm looking forward the most in 2027.

 

[TheThreadsThatBindUs]

Who cares about expansions if we're getting sequels in good time?

This is non-news.

 

[SHAKEZ]

Witcher 5 and Witcher 6 are just going to be expansions of Witcher 4.

This.

 

[Sentenza]

So they are still touting the narrative they could release a whole trilogy within 6 years....

If they didn't have a LONG history across the last 20 years of promising a more... abundant output and then systematically failing to achieve it I would vaguely entertain the possibility.
So far I'd be already impressed if in the next six years we will get TW4, period.

 

[Braag]

So 2028 TW4 -> 2031 TW5 -> 2034 TW6

It could work, but they would have to plan everything in advance so there wouldn't be any delays.
Giving TW5 and TW6 a year more of development time, making the trilogy come out within 8 years would be more realistic, but we'll see.

 

[Zacfoldor]

Sounds great, just give me the game then, lol.

 

[tr1p1ex]

seems like semantics

 

[Seyken]

You are acting like CD Projekt Red cancelled something that was already promised, when in reality The Witcher 4 barely exists publicly beyond a reveal

I'm acting like someone who's seen how long it takes for modern games to be developed. If they're thinking of cramming 3 huge games in 6 years and keeping the quality up there - that is, in my humble opinion, delusional.

Dunno why you guys are treating it like a hot take.

 

[uncreativename]

If all of the games really do release around that timeline more or less and they're all as good as Witcher 3 you won't see me complaining.

If not

 

[TheLikou]

Why release two expansions for 50 when we can release them for 70?

 

[SegaSnatcher]

3 full length Witcher games in 6 yrs is not happening.

Sure, they will likely share a ton of the same assets, but 6 yrs is like the standard for a single modern AAA game from initial development to release.