The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past Expansion 'Is, in a Way, a Prologue' for the Series' Future
CD Projekt Red has confirmed that the newly revealed The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past expansion will serve as a kind of prologue for the upcoming The Witcher 4, according to the company's joint CEO, Michał Nowakowski. While the expansion tells a standalone story set after the events of The Witcher 3, it also sets the stage for the future of the series. Nowakowski made these remarks during a recent investor meeting, where he addressed several key questions about the expansion and the broader The Witcher franchise.
Speaking on the expansion's role in the series, Nowakowski emphasized that the primary goal was to deliver a high-quality, fun experience for existing fans. "First and foremost, we really wanted to deliver a great experience to the fans, a really cool expansion that's going to make people happy that they can come back to The Witcher 3 setting," he said. "Of course, indirectly, yes, it is a reminder [of the franchise for fans]. It is, in a way, a prologue, although it's not a prologue in a verbatim way of [being] a prologue for the actual The Witcher 4."
During a livestream aimed at The Witcher fans, CD Projekt Red offered more details about the expansion's narrative focus. The expansion will feature Geralt's new third sword, a detail teased in recent artwork released to celebrate a springtime festival. Dandelion, Geralt's bard companion, will also make an appearance in the story.
Nowakowski also explained why the expansion is launching in 2027 instead of this year. "We had a moment where our plans assumed that Songs of the Past would be released this year," he said. "We decided together with the development team that the game will be launching in 2027, to be honest, to achieve the best possible result from the consumer standpoint, which in the end, frankly speaking, is the only ultimate thing that really matters."
CD Projekt Red's recent financial results show the company reported Q1 revenue of 191 million PLN ($52.5 million), up year-on-year, with a net profit of 106 million PLN ($29 million). The results were attributed to strong sales of key titles and their inclusion in subscription services. The company currently employs 975 people, with over 500 working on The Witcher 4. Other projects, including Cyberpunk 2 and Project Sirius, are also in development.
While no official release date has been announced for The Witcher 4, CD Projekt Red has outlined an ambitious plan to release The Witcher 4, The Witcher 5, and The Witcher 6 over a six-year period. This timeline, Nowakowski noted, makes it unlikely that any of the upcoming trilogy will receive expansions in the near future.
"The plans are pretty ambitious," Nowakowski acknowledged. "It would be difficult, to be very honest, for us to add an expansion to the upcoming trilogy. This is where we are here and now with this particular issue."
Separately, CD Projekt Red celebrated the success of its Cyberpunk Trading Card Game campaign, which raised $28 million via Kickstarter, making it the most successful gaming project on the platform and the third-largest Kickstarter campaign of all time.
