CD Projekt RED Reduces Development Team on Witcher Spinoff Project Sirius Once Again

CD Projekt RED, the Polish video game development studio behind the critically acclaimed Witcher series and Cyberpunk 2077, has reportedly made another round of staffing changes on its mysterious Project Sirius. According to information obtained by Kotaku, nine team members have been laid off from the project, while an additional nine developers are being reassigned to other projects within the company. This marks yet another turbulent chapter in what has proven to be a challenging development cycle for the spinoff title.

Project Sirius: A Troubled Development History

Project Sirius was first announced in 2022 as part of CD Projekt RED’s ambitious expansion plans for The Witcher franchise. The game is being developed in collaboration with The Molasses Flood, a Boston-based studio that CD Projekt acquired in 2021. The Molasses Flood previously gained recognition for survival games like The Flame in the Flood and Drake Hollow, suggesting that Project Sirius might take the beloved Witcher universe in a different gameplay direction than fans have come to expect.

This is not the first time Project Sirius has faced significant development challenges. In early 2024, CD Projekt RED acknowledged that the project had undergone a substantial reevaluation, with the studio essentially resetting development to address creative and technical concerns. At that time, approximately 30 developers were reportedly affected by layoffs or reassignments, making today’s news a continuation of an already unstable production timeline.

CD Projekt RED’s Broader Strategic Vision

The ongoing struggles with Project Sirius come at a time when CD Projekt RED is attempting to rebuild its reputation following the disastrous launch of Cyberpunk 2077 in December 2020. That game released in a notoriously buggy state, particularly on last-generation consoles, leading to widespread criticism, refund demands, and even temporary removal from the PlayStation Store. The studio has since worked extensively to rehabilitate Cyberpunk 2077, releasing numerous patches and the well-received Phantom Liberty expansion in 2023.

Currently, CD Projekt RED has multiple projects in various stages of development. The most anticipated is codenamed Polaris, which will be the first installment in a new Witcher trilogy featuring an entirely new saga. Additionally, the studio is working on a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, internally known as Project Orion, as well as a completely new intellectual property codenamed Hadar. With such an ambitious slate, some industry analysts speculate that resource allocation challenges may be contributing to Project Sirius’s difficulties.

Industry Context and What This Means for Fans

The gaming industry as a whole has experienced significant turbulence in 2024 and 2025, with major studios including Microsoft, Sony, Electronic Arts, and Ubisoft all implementing substantial layoffs. Economic pressures, rising development costs, and longer production cycles have forced many companies to make difficult decisions about project viability and team sizes. CD Projekt RED’s moves with Project Sirius, while disappointing for fans eagerly awaiting new Witcher content, reflect broader industry trends rather than isolated mismanagement.

For devoted fans of The Witcher franchise, which has sold over 75 million copies across all titles and spawned a successful Netflix adaptation, the news about Project Sirius raises questions about what form the final product will take—if it reaches completion at all. The game was described as targeting a broader audience and potentially featuring multiplayer elements, which represents a significant departure from the single-player, narrative-driven experiences the series is known for. Whether CD Projekt RED can successfully navigate these development challenges while maintaining the quality standards fans expect remains to be seen.