CD Projekt's Adam Badowski unveils plans for 'Polaris' production kickoff

Polaris production begins: CD Projekt, the Polish gaming company, plans to initiate the production phase of its upcoming game "Polaris" within the year, according to the company's new joint CEO, Adam Badowski. The goal is to have approximately 400 team members working on the project by mid-2024. "Polaris" is set to be a trilogy that expands on the medieval fantasy world of the highly successful "Witcher" franchise, which has sold more than 75 million copies since its debut in 2007.

While no specific release date for the first game in the "Polaris" project has been provided, industry analysts anticipate its premiere to occur in either 2026 or 2027. This means CD Projekt will not have a major game release in the next few years. Following the challenging launch of "Cyberpunk 2077" in late 2020, the company has been focused on transforming its studio. Despite the setbacks, CD Projekt has outlined plans for new games, with the sequel to "Cyberpunk," codenamed "Orion," currently in the conceptual phase.

Adam Badowski mentioned that they aim to have around 80 people working on the "Orion" project by the end of the year. The company is also considering incorporating multiplayer elements, although specific details were not disclosed. Badowski stated that wage pressures have eased, and the expectation is for hiring in Polish studios to be relatively low. However, expansion will continue in the North American studio.

CD Projekt has formed a team to explore the potential applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in its processes. According to Nowakowski, they believe AI can enhance certain aspects of game production but not replace human involvement. Learning from the challenges faced with the release of "Cyberpunk 2077," Badowski emphasised that the company now has better control over the game production process. He expressed confidence that they will avoid a problematic release similar to what occurred with "Cyberpunk 2077" in the future.

(With Reuters Inputs)