CD Projekt Red Expanding Project Hadar Team to 50 Developers

CD Projekt Red, the studio behind The Witcher series and Cyberpunk 2077, is pushing forward on a mysterious third project called Project Hadar, with plans to grow its dedicated team to at least 50 developers before the year is out.

Team Growth and Current Status

Speaking on the company’s latest earnings call, CD Projekt Red vice president of investor relations Karolina Gnas confirmed that the Project Hadar team currently stands at over 30 people. IGN reports that the studio intends “to hire more, up to 50 developers by the end of this year.” Despite the staffing push, Gnas was clear that the project has not moved past its earliest stages, stating, “Hadar is still in the concept phase.”

That said, work is actively happening. According to GamesRadar, which first reported the story, the team is currently focused on testing ideas and prototyping gameplay elements. Gnas described it as “testing different approaches, ideas, and, you know, prototyping some gameplay element.”

What Could Project Hadar Be?

CD Projekt Red has kept the wraps firmly on what Project Hadar actually is. The studio’s two flagship franchises sit in very different genres: The Witcher is a third-person fantasy RPG, while Cyberpunk 2077 is a first-person shooter RPG. With so little public information to work from, the safest assumption is that Hadar will fall somewhere in the RPG space, though the studio has not confirmed even that much.

The project is separate from the already-announced Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, which is also in development at the studio. That means CD Projekt Red is effectively juggling multiple large-scale projects at the same time.

A Packed Slate at CD Projekt Red

Project Hadar is just one item on a crowded roadmap. The studio is currently targeting a 2028 release for The Witcher 4. CD Projekt Red also confirmed that the remake of the original Witcher game has been put on hold so resources can be concentrated on The Witcher 4 and the newly announced Witcher 3 expansion, Songs of the Past. On top of that, a remastered version of The Witcher 3 is due out this month, and existing owners will receive the upgrade at no cost with save file compatibility intact.

Sources: IGN, GamesRadar