Project Hadar: CDPR’s ‘Biggest Project’ Is Years From Pre-Production

CD Projekt Red’s third franchise, codenamed Hadar, is the studio’s “biggest project to date” but is still years from pre-production, joint CEO Michał Nowakowski told Polish outlet PAP Biznes this week. Pre-production is the studio phase where a game’s core systems, level design, and feature scope are locked before full production begins.

Speaking to PAP Biznes, Nowakowski said: “At this point we can say that we have a coherent vision of [Hadar’s] world and its key elements. The team has started working on the game, although we’re not quite at the pre-production stage yet. We’re currently developing small prototypes, and we’re also testing gameplay elements.” The interview, translated from Polish by DeepL, was first reported in English by Eurogamer.

Hadar is CDPR’s first new IP since it was announced in the autumn of 2022, four years ago, and the studio has said very little about it since. Earlier this year, Nowakowski described the project as having reached the “foundations of this entirely new IP” with key pillars defined for the game and, “potentially, for other future products.” Hadar is not based on any existing CDPR property, unlike The Witcher (Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels) or Cyberpunk 2077 (Mike Pondsmith’s tabletop system).

The team is small. CDPR’s H1 2026 group presentation shows 33 people were working on Hadar as of July 31, 2026, up from 26 at the end of February. For comparison, The Witcher 4 has 519 developers, and Cyberpunk 2 has 184. Both are also still in development. The Witcher 4 is now “targeting” a 2028 release, while Cyberpunk 2 has no public date. Project Sirius, a multiplayer Witcher spinoff, was hit by layoffs earlier this year, a pattern that also hit Anno 117’s Mainz studio and several others across 2026.

Elsewhere in the interview, Nowakowski called The Witcher 4 “our most ambitious project to date” and said the studio wants “each [title] to introduce new narrative and gameplay solutions.” He also reiterated that Sony’s plan to phase out PlayStation disc production starting 2028 could affect a physical release for The Witcher 4 if console manufacturers stop producing discs. “A studio doesn’t simply decide to release a game and then distribute the physical version itself,” he added. The reversal tone echoes our recent coverage of Jagex’s RuneScape Reignited cancellation and the Total War: SHOGUN 2 remaster pullback, both in the last week.

The Witcher 3 Remastered, which launched September 29, 2026, is still selling “at a higher level than before the remaster” even after the launch discount period ended, Nowakowski said. A PS5 hotfix rolled out earlier this month to address stability issues, and a Switch 2 update is still in the works. The Remastered edition is also the cheapest Witcher 3 entry ever, now under $25 in October’s Deal Radar.

CDPR’s active projects (as of H1 2026 group presentation, July 31, 2026)

Our read: Hadar is the longest-running mystery in CDPR’s current slate. With a 33-person team and the world vision stage just finished in 2026, a release before 2030 looks unlikely. The Witcher 4 alone is targeting 2028 with more than 500 developers. That is also why the studio is leaning on a third Witcher 3 expansion (Songs of the Past) and a Cyberpunk anime (Edgerunners 2) to keep both existing franchises in the public eye while Hadar stays in the dark. The “biggest project” framing suggests CDPR is positioning Hadar as a multi-game franchise, and Nowakowski has already hinted the IP’s “key pillars” could support “other future products.” That bet is not without risk: a multi-year dark period on Hadar leaves CDPR exposed if The Witcher 4 lands short, and the Witcher 3 Remastered’s sales beat will not last forever, especially with the Netflix games division cut reminding everyone how fast industry tailwinds shift.

What do you think of CDPR’s priorities right now? Does Hadar feel like a sensible third bet after The Witcher and Cyberpunk, or should the studio focus on shipping what it has?

Edited by Kerwin Stewart, Editor-in-Chief · How we report