It’s been a few years since CD Red Projeckt announced during a discussion of the development of Cyberpunk 2077 that another fantasy RPG was in development at a side studio. Later they would provide clarification that the title was not in fact in full development. Rather it was in early stages of development underneath a small team with Cyberpunk 2077 being the company’s main focus.

Going forward the project would grow as needed and staff no longer required on Cyberpunk 2077 could be transferred over to the other project rather than being laid off. A maneuver most competent developers and publishers utilize to retain staff rather than subjecting them to uncertain employment prospects that plague the industry’s development cycles.

Immediately, content creators and “journalists” feverishly proclaimed and hyped the unannounced title was in fact the next Witcher game. Speculation ensued — as CDPR confirmed Witcher 3 was Geralt’s last outing — over who would be the main character in the upcoming fantasy RPG.

There was just a small inconvenient fact that nearly everyone ignored: CDPR did not have the rights to make anything further in the Witcher universe. Their original contract stipulated they had the right to make a total of three games set in the intellectual property and afterward the contract would have to be renewed. Part of the previous litigation the company faced with Andrzej Sapkowski was whether CDPR even had the right to make Gwent, which the company alleged was a derivative of Witcher 3.

All of that was finally settled December 20^th 2019 when the two parties reached a legal agreement resolving their dispute. CD Projekt obtained the sole right to make further games, graphic novels, board games, and merchandise in the intellectual property. The series’ creator would retain the rights to television, movies, and future novels.

As a result of the legal issue as previously stated and now confirmed by We Got This Covered the new fantasy RPG in development at present is not a Witcher title.

Do note that is at present. Titles during development are often retooled to function or once again be a part of other intellectual properties. When the unannounced fantasy RPG is announced it maybe a new intellectual property or it may be a Witcher spinoff. What is known is that it is a small project than what they have previously development, so only time will tell what will be announced.