CD Projekt Red has confirmed a new round of layoffs impacting Project Sirius, the company's multiplayer Witcher spinoff. The cuts affect 18 staff members, a figure reported to be approximately one-quarter of the project's development team. This marks the second significant reduction in staff for Project Sirius since its initial announcement in 2022.
Following a report from Kotaku, CD Projekt Red verified the layoffs to IGN. Of the affected employees, half have been made redundant, while the other half have been offered opportunities to join internal recruitment processes for other CD Projekt Red projects. The studio previously underwent a significant restructuring, effectively rebooting Project Sirius in 2023, which also resulted in staff reductions.
Project Sirius was originally developed by The Molasses Flood, the studio behind The Flame in the Flood and Drake Hollow, which CD Projekt Red acquired in 2021. At the time of acquisition, CD Projekt Red assured that The Molasses Flood would maintain its distinct identity and not be integrated into existing teams. However, this arrangement shifted in 2025 when The Molasses Flood was fully absorbed into its parent company.
Details regarding Project Sirius have been scarce since its original unveiling. The game is rumored to be an RPG, but no gameplay or substantial development updates have been shared publicly since its announcement. The team size for Project Sirius was reportedly already smaller than the contingent assigned to the single-player sequel, The Witcher 4.
The news of layoffs at CD Projekt Red comes amid a broader trend of job cuts within the video game industry. Reports from the past week alone have highlighted significant redundancies at other studios, including Supermassive Games, That’s No Moon (developers of Crossfire), and Halo Studios. Unionized workers at Bethesda Game Studios recently protested planned layoffs by Microsoft, which could affect up to 3,200 staff, by erecting flags outside the company's headquarters to represent affected employees.