Despite the myriad of impressive titles released last year, many continue to argue that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt remains one of the greatest games ever made. 

For those eagerly awaiting its sequel, there’s good news—CD Projekt’s co-CEO has confirmed that The Witcher 4, codenamed Polaris, will enter its production phase this year. However, the company has also embarked on exploring the integration of AI in its development, which may pose unique challenges.

Following Adam Kicinski’s departure as CD Projekt’s CEO at the end of 2023, Badowski and Nowakowski assumed the roles of co-CEOs. In an interview with Reuters, Badowski shared that The Witcher 4’s production is set to kick off in 2024, with a goal of having 400 team members dedicated to the project by the summer. As more employees transition from Cyberpunk 2077 responsibilities to The Witcher 4, anticipation for the next installment builds.

In a notable move, CD Projekt has formed a team to explore AI applications in The Witcher 4’s development. Badowski clarified that the focus is on improving processes rather than creating overtly noticeable features, such as generated assets. He also emphasized that this technological integration is not intended to replace human input and assured that it won’t result in job losses.

“We think that AI is something that can help improve certain processes in game production, but not replace people,” Badowski stated.

Acknowledging the challenges faced during the Cyberpunk 2077 launch, Badowski expressed a commitment to avoiding similar issues with The Witcher 4. He believes that the lessons learned from past experiences have provided the company with better control over the production process, instilling confidence in a smoother release.

Looking ahead to the sequel of Cyberpunk 2077, codenamed Orion, Badowski mentioned that it is still in the conceptual phase. While around 80 people are expected to be working on it by the end of the year, details about potential multiplayer elements remain under wraps. Nowakowski hinted at the possibility of multiplayer features but refrained from providing further details.

As CD Projekt gears up for these highly anticipated releases, fans can expect an exciting journey into the worlds of The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2077’s sequel, with the company actively learning from its past experiences to deliver exceptional gaming experiences.