Layoffs Hit Development Team Behind Multiplayer Witcher Game 'Project Sirius'

CD Projekt Red has reportedly laid off nine employees from the team working on 'Project Sirius,' a multiplayer game set in The Witcher universe. An additional nine staff members have been reassigned to other departments within the company. This marks a continuation of difficulties for the project, which was previously restarted from scratch in 2023, resulting in the dismissal of 29 developers at that time.

Project Sirius was initially announced in October 2022 by CD Projekt Red Boston, which absorbed The Molasses Flood studio. The game was intended to offer both single-player and multiplayer experiences and aimed to appeal to a broader audience than previous Witcher titles. At its announcement, the project was in pre-production with over 60 developers involved.

CD Projekt's CFO, Piotr Nielubowicz, stated in 2023 that restarting the project was a necessary measure to remain innovative and ensure the project stayed on the right course, especially given its novel design for the studio. He emphasized the importance of early cost evaluation and the willingness to restart if needed rather than continuing with a faltering direction.

Despite recent reports suggesting the project had been progressing well following changes implemented in the spring, these new layoffs indicate ongoing strategic adjustments. The development team had recently seen the addition of Kwan Perng, an acclaimed developer from Destiny 2, as lead writer in May.

Project Sirius is one of several Witcher-related projects in development. It was announced alongside 'Project Polaris,' the planned first game in a new Witcher trilogy, with The Witcher 4 slated for release as part of this series. Other announced projects include a DLC expansion for The Witcher 3, a remake of the first Witcher game, and a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077 codenamed 'Project Orion.' CD Projekt is also exploring an entirely new intellectual property with 'Project Hadar,' though this is in the very early stages of conceptualization. The company plans to release the new Witcher trilogy over a six-year period.