CDPR’s Project Polaris, aka The Witcher 4, is finally in full production, as Cyberpunk 2077 sales hit new milestone

The Witcher 4, the very unofficial name for CD Projekt Red’s Project Polaris, is in full production, the company announced in a brief finance report

CD Projekt Red

The Witcher 4, the very unofficial name for CD Projekt Red’s Project Polaris, is in full production, the company announced in a brief finance report. The last time CDPR had anything to say about The Witcher 4 was in 2022, when they said it was still in pre-production stages.

• Read more: The best open-world games to play in 2024

Okay, so it’s technically not The Witcher 4, as CDPR's head of public relations made quite clear after announcing the project, but at this point, there’s not much else to call it. Polaris is definitely a Witcher game, but it may not be about Geralt, the Witcher. CDPR corrected itself after mistakenly calling Polaris The Witcher 4 in 2022 and said that the new game kicks off a new RPG trilogy that’s distinct from Geralt’s journey.

Geralt's voice actor, Doug Cockle, said the famous monster fighter will have some role in the game, but it's a small one.

During that same investors call, CD Projekt Red’s CEO Adam Kiciński said he believed Polaris-slash-The Witcher 4 was roughly three years out from release. That was in 2022, so if Kiciński’s estimate was correct, there’s a small chance we’ll see The Witcher 4 in 2025. That’s assuming CDPR runs into no obstacles along the way, which they may have done. CDPR is developing The Witcher 4 in Unreal Engine 5 after using its proprietary Red Engine for previous games, including Cyberpunk 2077.

• Read more: The best RPGs to play right now

Whatever the case, CDPR reported that sales revenue from its three existing Witcher games and their expansions actually increased in 2024’s third quarter compared to the same period in 2023. Cyberpunk sales dropped – understandably, now that Phantom Liberty is out, and CDPR’s stopped with major updates. Speaking of Cyberpunk, the base game has sold over 30 million copies since it first launched in 2020, while the (very good) Phantom Liberty expansion has sold 8 million.

CDPR also has a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel in the works, but this latest financial report had nothing to say about that project. Don’t expect it anytime soon.