CD Projekt Red has confirmed that The Witcher 4, 5, and 6 are all aligned for release within a six-year span. This ambitious timeline was first introduced back in October 2022, shortly after the announcement of a new Witcher RPG saga beginning with The Witcher 4.

Originally announced as Project Polaris, this latest installment will explore characters beyond Geralt, focusing on Ciri, now depicted as an older protagonist. The Unreal Engine 5-powered trilogy aims to enhance modern game development while achieving a release schedule that is uniquely aggressive for the industry.

In a recent earnings call, co-CEO Michal Nowakowski reiterated the studio’s goal to roll out the entire trilogy within the intended six-year timeframe. Although no specific release date for The Witcher 4 has been confirmed, a late 2027 premiere appears plausible given recent developments. The studio is undergoing changes to optimize its development process, indicating a shift towards longer pre-production phases and shorter production periods exceptional for triple-A titles.

“Our plan still is [sic] to launch the whole trilogy within a six-year period, so yes, that would mean we would plan to have a shorter development time between TW4 and TW5, between TW5 and TW6, and so on,” said Nowakowski.

The timeline suggests that each game, particularly The Witcher 4 and 5, will receive close to three years of active development each, integrating the efficiencies gained through established production pipelines.

Additional insights reveal that this expedited development could entail reusing maps and assets from previous games to streamline the process. CD Projekt Red, while ambitious, remains cognizant of the challenges such tight schedules bring, particularly in balancing new content creation and production efficiency.