The Witcher 4 title accidentally let slip by CD Projekt RED

If you’re a fan of gaming, which I’m assuming you are if you’re here, you’ll know how big announcements typically go down. There are PlayStation’s State of Play events, Nintendo’s Directs and the annual Xbox Showcase. On top of that, we’ve got The Game Awards and Summer Game Fest. If you want eyes on your announcement, those are the places to be.

CD Projekt RED seemingly missed that memo though. Last October, on an otherwise very mundane Tuesday, the studio decided to just drop the entirety of their upcoming slate on Twitter out of nowhere. I can attest that it’s a move that sent games journalists everywhere into a panicked frenzy. In case you missed it, let me run through what was announced. We’re getting a brand new Witcher trilogy (codenamed Polaris), a new standalone Witcher title (codenamed Canis Majoris), a Witcher multiplayer game (codenamed Sirius), a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077 (codenamed Orion), plus a new IP (codenamed Hadar). Today though, we’re addressing Polaris.

Take a look at why we think Ciri deserves her own game below.

It’s a tad confusing but allow me to explain. Project Polaris is described as “the next instalment in The Witcher series of games”. In other words, it’ll follow on from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. That being said, “it is the beginning of a new saga,” and CD Projekt Red will aim to “release two more Witcher games after Polaris, creating a new AAA RPG trilogy”. You may then think that Polaris is The Witcher 4, but it’s apparently not.

To date, developers have been adamant that it’s not The Witcher 4, even though Polaris is the sequel to The Witcher 3. It’s been explained that the game isn’t a straightforward sequel, leading many to believe that perhaps Geralt will no longer star as the protagonist. CD Projekt RED have seemingly now let the title’s actual name slip though and it turns out it's … The Witcher 4. Really? After all of that?

As reported by GamesRadar, CDPR CEO Adam Kiciński recently referred to the project as The Witcher 4 after months of calling it Polaris. During an earnings conference call, he said, “That was one of the reasons behind saying the strategy that we want to release three big Witcher games within six years, starting from the release of Polaris, which is Witcher 4." Prepare yourselves because the plot thickens.

A CDPR representative has since reached out to GamesRadar explaining that this was “actually a slip of the tongue. Polaris will be the first game in a new Witcher saga.” We remain just as in the dark.