CD Projekt is also working on something brand new that it 'created from scratch'

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A mystery project called Hadar is being concepted in addition to the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel and new The Witcher games

CD Projekt Red
(Image credit: Bloomberg (Getty Images))

It's been a very big day for CD Projekt, which announced that a full sequel to Cyberpunk 2077 and a whole new Witcher trilogy are happening. But that's apparently not enough to keep the studio's hands full, because there's also something entirely new happening called Hadar.

"Hadar is a codename for a third, entirely distinct IP, created from scratch within CDPR," CD Projekt Red tweeted. "The project is in the earliest stages of the creative process, which means we are not developing any game yet, but working exclusively on the foundation for this new setting."

CD Projekt said that conceptual work on Hadar began in 2021, and that at this point it is working "on the foundations of the world—laying the setting for a third separate product in the future."

"I am excited to announce that CD Projekt Red has begun creative exploration on a third, entirely distinct IP, codenamed Hadar," CD Projekt senior vice president of business development Michał Nowakowski said." We had started thinking about it a few years ago. Early stage conceptual works commenced in 2021, and for the first time in our history the IP is being incubated entirely within CD Projekt Red.

"It is important to understand that we are not making a game just yet. We are working on the foundation of this new setting."

Despite being founded almost 30 years ago, CD Projekt has only developed games based on two properties, both of them licensed: The Witcher, a series of fantasy short stories and novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, and Cyberpunk, a tabletop RPG created by Mike Pondsmith. Both have been huge successes, turning CD Projekt into one of the biggest game-makers in the world, but creating a wholly original setting for a new game falls well outside CD Projekt's established expertise. Regardless of what it ultimately turns out to be, this will be something genuinely new for the studio.

Hadar, by the way, is the proper name for Beta Centauri, a triple star system in the constellation Centaurus, but that doesn't necessarily point toward a sci-fi experience for CD Projekt's next game. The other projects the studio announced today, including the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel and new Witcher games, are also named after stars: Orion, Polaris, Canis Majoris, and Sirius.

Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.