While everyone is waiting for The Witcher 4, the role-playing game experts’ first completely original brand is finally picking up speed
While we are all eagerly awaitingWitcher 4or news about the second Cyberpunk, there is now a sign of life from what is probably the most exciting project in the portfolio:Project Hadar.
Hidden behind this codename is nothing less than the studio’s first completely original brand. Not a witcher based on a book, not a pen & paper-based Night City.
Hadar will be the first project in which the Polish role-playing game experts take you into a completely independently designed game universe.
The foundations are in place, the prototypes are running
In the context of thecurrent annual reportMichał Nowakowski, the co-CEO of CD Projekt, let the cat out of the bag at least a little bit. Work on Project Hadar is progressing “dynamically”, according to the boss.
But he is even more specific: The scenario, the atmosphere and the unique selling points of the game world have been determined. According to Nowakowski, this is a whole foundation on which a whole series of new products can potentially be built.
A particularly exciting aspect is that the developers are already at the stage where they are testing specific gameplay elements directly in the Unreal Engine. Various prototypes are being created to find out how the mechanics feel in practice.
Who is working on what?
Despite the good news about Hadar, you should temper your expectations regarding an imminent release. A look at the distribution of personnel at CD Projekt clearly shows where the priorities currently lie. The studio has grown massively in the last year and now has over 200 new employees.
What could we expect?
So far, we know absolutely nothing about the genre or the setting. Will it be sci-fi or fantasy again? A realistic scenario in the Middle Ages? In modern times? Or maybe something completely crazy that we don’t even have on our radar yet?
The only thing that is clear is that it will definitely be another game that places great emphasis on narrative, decisions and a dense atmosphere. The fact that they are now creating their own IP gives them the freedom to go completely new ways without having to take existing lore into consideration. However, the Poles now have to prove that they can also create their own captivating game world.
But what do you think? Which genre and which setting would you like to see CD Projekt create if they could work completely without a template? Let us know in the comments!
