CD Projekt Red has officially confirmed that "The Witcher 4" will not be launching in 2026. The announcement came during the company’s Q3 earnings call, where joint CEO Michał Nowakowski addressed the development status of the highly anticipated title. While a specific release date remains undisclosed, the studio also revealed its ambitious plan to release the entire new Witcher trilogy within a six-year timeframe.
Key Takeaways
- "The Witcher 4" will not be released in 2026.
- CD Projekt Red plans to launch a new trilogy of "The Witcher" games.
- The entire trilogy is intended to be released within a six-year period.
- Development for "The Witcher 4" is proceeding at full scale according to internal plans.
No 2026 Release For The Witcher 4
During the earnings call, when questioned about the development progress and potential release window for "The Witcher 4," Michał Nowakowski stated, "We’re not disclosing any details regarding the target release date, so there’s not a point in time I could refer to when answering such a question. The only think we’re commenting is that we’re not launching in 2026… There’s nothing out of the ordinary, I’d say, in that area happening with TW4 – it’s just full scale production proceeding at its pace, as per our internal plans."
This confirmation likely aims to manage expectations and avoid the pitfalls encountered during the launch of "Cyberpunk 2077." The studio is focusing on ensuring a polished experience for its next major installment in the beloved RPG series.
Ambitious Six-Year Trilogy Plan
Perhaps more surprising than the delayed release of "The Witcher 4" was the confirmation of CD Projekt Red’s long-term vision for the franchise. The company intends to release a new trilogy of "The Witcher" games, with the entire series slated for completion within a six-year span. Nowakowski elaborated, "In a way, yes, I do believe that further games should be delivered in a shorter period of time – as we had stated before, our plan still is 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."
This aggressive timeline suggests a streamlined development process for subsequent titles, aiming for quicker releases between installments. While "The Witcher 4" in 2026 would have been welcomed by fans, the prospect of three high-quality "Witcher" games within six years, provided they meet CD Projekt Red’s standards of quality, presents an exciting future for the franchise.
