CD Projekt joint CEO steps down as studio confirms new slate of releases
Marcin Iwiński leaves that role as Polish studio confirms a new Witcher trilogy, a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, and new IP Project Hadar
CD Projekt joint CEO Marcin Iwiński today announced that he is stepping down from that role by the end of the year as he submits his candidacy to be the chairman of the company's supervisory board.
Iwiński would succeed Katarzyna Szwarc, the current chair of the supervisory board.
"Our hugely ambitious strategy has such an inspiring and strong team at the helm," Iwiński said, "and I deeply believe in our plan to take CD Projekt to new heights. As such, I intend to remain a major shareholder, and in my new non-executive role I will remain active and engaged dedicating my focus on supporting the entire management board."
The company today also provided an update to that "hugely ambitious" strategy that would further its existing tentpole franchises and add a new one.
CD Projekt said it is at work on its third intellectual property, Project Hadar, which will not be tied into The Witcher or Cyberpunk 2077. Hadar has been in "incubation" since last year, is currently in the conceptual phase, and is being developed entirely within CD Projekt.
As for its existing franchises, Cyberpunk 2077 will see a sequel "that will prove the full power and potential of the Cyberpunk universe," developed by CD Projekt Red's new Boston studio – a separate team from CD Projekt's acquired Boston developer The Molasses Flood – and called Project Orion.
Meanwhile, The Witcher will see a new trilogy of games developed by CD Projekt Red, along with The Molasses Flood's take on the franchise, codenamed Project Sirius, and a project known as Canis Majoris that will be developed by a third-party studio.
The new trilogy of Witcher games are intended to release over a six-year span, with the studio saying the second and third games will lean on the technological foundation being built for the initial chapter, which is codenamed Polaris.
Polaris is also set to be the first major release from CD Projekt built on Unreal Engine technology. The company announced in March that it was switching to Epic's engine for the next installment of The Witcher and future games because "in the past, we spent a lot of resources and energy to evolve and adapt RedEngine with every subsequent game release."
Most of CD Projekt's upcoming games will also feature multiplayer, the company said.
"Thinking ahead, we're now looking at three unique, strong and enduring franchises," said CD Projekt president and joint CEO Adam Kiciński.
"At the center of each we envision a growing number of single-player games with memorable storylines, enhanced with multiplayer experiences. We see CD Projekt as a growing force, shaped by teams which take pride in their achievements and take bold steps to realize their ambitions."