Witcher 3 Expansion Preps Ground for Next Saga, CD Projekt Says

Witcher 3 Expansion Preps Ground for Next Saga, CD Projekt Says

CD Projekt's upcoming Witcher 3 expansion Songs of the Past will bridge the gap between the acclaimed third installment and the studio's next major project, the developer revealed this week. The expansion, now scheduled for 2027, functions as both a standalone adventure for Geralt and a thematic setup for what comes next in the franchise.

Joint CEO Michał Nowakowski framed the expansion as foundational work for the series' future. "It is, in a way, a prologue," he told investors, clarifying that while Songs of the Past tells its own story set after The Witcher 3's conclusion, it serves to "maintain certain chatter on The Witcher 3" and prime audiences for The Witcher 4. The expansion stars Geralt wielding a mysterious third sword, a detail teased during a recent fan livestream alongside the return of his bard companion Dandelion.

The shift to a 2027 release date represents a delay from CD Projekt's original target of this year. Nowakowski attributed the decision to the development team's commitment to quality. "We decided together with the development team that the game will be launching in 2027, to achieve the best possible result from the consumer standpoint," he said.

The expansion strategy reflects the studio's staggering workload ahead. More than 500 of CD Projekt's 975 employees are now focused on The Witcher 4, which remains without a release window. The company has committed to launching The Witcher 4, 5, and 6 across a six-year period, an ambitious timeline that effectively rules out expansion content for the upcoming trilogy.

Nowakowski made this clear when pressed on whether future Witcher games would receive the expansion treatment that enriched The Witcher 3. "It would be difficult, to be very honest, for us to add an expansion to the upcoming trilogy," he said.

Elsewhere in CD Projekt's business, the studio reported stronger-than-expected Q1 financials with revenue of $52.5 million and net profit of $29 million. The company attributed gains to sustained sales of existing titles and streaming catalog placements. Development resources remain distributed across multiple projects, with 163 people assigned to Cyberpunk 2, 80 working on the multiplayer Witcher spinoff Project Sirius, and 24 building a new internal IP called Hadar.

In a separate win, CD Projekt's Cyberpunk Trading Card Game became the most successful gaming Kickstarter campaign ever, raising $28 million and ranking third overall among all campaigns on the platform.

Author Emily Chen: "Songs of the Past lands in a smart spot, letting CD Projekt keep Witcher fans engaged while the team powers through an absurdly ambitious roadmap for the next three games."

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