After the controversial launch and ultimate redemption of Cyberpunk 2077, it’s difficult to believe that CD Projekt RED has not one but two projects of the same scale in the works. There’s the recently revealed The Witcher 4, which stars Ciri as the protagonist, and Project Orion, a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077 that’s yet to be revealed.
While the latter’s development troubles have been extensively detailed, art director Pawel Mielniczuk, currently working on Project Hadar, revealed the challenge of shifting from a medieval setting to cyberpunk. Speaking to GameStar (transcription via GamesRadar), he said, “After years of making this medieval universe of The Witcher, switching to Cyberpunk was really hard.”
Sebastian Kalemba, director of The Witcher 4, said, “The moment of recalibrating, it’s tough – it requires some time to rewire the brain and really get into the IP, the genre, the characters, all that required some time to really fully recalibrate.” The same applies to the next Witcher after spending so long on Cyberpunk 2077.
“It’s never easy. It’s really nice to get back to the IP. I think people love it, and we have something great to cook.” Of course, going from a completely different period to another “is challenging but super cool at the same time. You’re kinda reinventing – and at the same time, we’re thinking about how we can improve it.”
The Witcher 4 and Project Orion are both developed on Unreal Engine 5. Neither have release dates, but the former wants to prioritize player agency while presenting touch choices. As for the latter, creator Mike Pondsmith confirmed it introduces a new city described as “Chicago gone wrong.” Night City also returns, though it’s unknown if players will explore it.
