The next game in The Witcher franchise could adopt live service features or multiplayer elements, according to CD Projekt RED.
In a recent Q3 earnings call, the company's president Adam Kicinski reaffirmed that multiplayer will come "gradually" to The Witcher and Cyberpunk franchises. Cyberpunk 2077 was originally supposed to get some kind of multiplayer mode, but plans for that are currently on ice as the priority lies with improving the base game.
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"We're planning to add multiplayer functionality in the future to both franchises, including Cyberpunk, gradually. We're not revealing which franchise will be the first to receive such functionality, but the first attempt will be something we can learn from, and then we can add more and more - so, step and step, we want to open our single-player experiences to multiplayer, but we want to add such features gradually."
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It's believed, but by no means confirmed, that the next game from CD Projekt RED after Cyberpunk 2077 will be The Witcher 4. Details on this project remain scarce, but it would certainly be interesting to see multiplayer features implemented into what will predominately be single-player RPG.
Back in March, Kicinski stressed that single-player will still absolutely be the focus of the studio's RPGs, but added that live service "where it makes sense" is something the company needs to start thinking about.
"CD Projekt RED makes single-player, story-driven AAA RPGs. That is not changing," he said. "What is changing is our long-term approach to online, and by this we mean ensuring we are properly prepared to implement online elements in our games where they make sense. We don't want to go overboard or lose our single-player DNA. We want to take thoughtful steps to build robust online capabilities."
Featured Image Credit: CD ProjektTopics: The Witcher 3, The Witcher, CD Projekt Red