The Witcher 3 PS5, Xbox Series S/X versions delayed ‘indefinitely’ as CD Projekt Red moves development from Russia

The Witcher 3 has been delayed for PS5 and Xbox Series S/X. On Thursday, its Polish developer CD Projekt Red said it was returning development in-house and as a result had to postpone the release of its hit game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for next-gen consoles indefinitely.

The release, which was originally slated to launch late last year and was later delayed to the second quarter of 2022, has been outsourced to the Russian office of Saber Interactive, part of Sweden’s Embracer Group.

CD Projekt Red did not give a reason for the move. Back in February, CD Projekt Red had condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the halting of sales of its games and services in Russia. The Polish company and Embracer were not immediately available for comment.

“We are currently assessing the extent of the work to be carried out and therefore have to postpone the second quarter release until further notice,” the Polish company said on Twitter on Wednesday evening.

Jefferies analyst Ken Rumph wrote in a note that while the financial impact of the delay may be small, given that it was a free upgrade for existing game owners, a second delay and accommodation were a surprise.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt premiered in 2015 to critical acclaim and helped the Polish studio gain worldwide recognition. It has sold more than 30 million copies, CD Projekt Red said last year.

Since late 2020, CD Projekt Red has had a tough time following the rocky rollout of its second franchise with Cyberpunk 2077.

In a bid to restore investor confidence, CD Projekt Red has been scrambling to transform its studio so it can start producing big-budget games in parallel from 2022.

It released the next-gen version of Cyberpunk 2077 in February.

© Thomson Reuters 2022