CD Projekt RED Reveals Ambitious Witcher Trilogy Plan: Three Games in Six Years Without DLC Expansions

Polish game development giant CD Projekt RED has announced an unprecedented production strategy for its beloved Witcher franchise, confirming plans to release three new Witcher games within a six-year window. In a surprising departure from their established business model, the studio revealed that none of these upcoming titles will receive downloadable content expansions — a stark contrast to the approach that made The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt a legendary success in the gaming industry.

The announcement came during the company’s quarterly financial report, where CD Projekt RED also celebrated a remarkable milestone: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has now sold over 65 million copies worldwide. This staggering figure, achieved over 11 years since the game’s original 2015 release, cements Wild Hunt’s position as one of the best-selling role-playing games in history and demonstrates the enduring appeal of Geralt of Rivia’s final adventure.

The decision to forgo DLC for upcoming Witcher titles represents a significant strategic shift for the studio. The Witcher 3’s expansion packs, “Hearts of Stone” and “Blood and Wine,” are widely considered some of the finest downloadable content ever produced for any video game. Blood and Wine alone offered over 30 hours of additional gameplay and introduced the entirely new region of Toussaint, effectively delivering a standalone game’s worth of content. These expansions contributed substantially to the game’s longevity and commercial success, making the announcement of a DLC-free future all the more intriguing to industry analysts.

CD Projekt RED’s ambitious timeline suggests a fundamental restructuring of their development pipeline. Historically, the studio has been known for extended development cycles — The Witcher 3 took approximately three and a half years to complete, while Cyberpunk 2077 spent nearly eight years in various stages of production. Releasing three full-scale RPGs in six years would require either significantly expanded development teams, more focused game scopes, or the implementation of new parallel development structures across the company’s multiple studios.

The Witcher franchise has deep roots in Polish literature, originating from Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy novel series that began in 1986. CD Projekt RED acquired the video game rights and released the first Witcher game in 2007, gradually building the series into a global phenomenon. The franchise’s popularity exploded further with Netflix’s television adaptation starring Henry Cavill, which premiered in 2019 and introduced millions of new fans to the world of monster hunters and political intrigue. This multimedia success has created unprecedented demand for new Witcher content across all entertainment platforms.

Industry experts suggest that the no-DLC approach might indicate that CD Projekt RED plans to deliver more complete, self-contained experiences at launch rather than holding content back for post-release monetization. This philosophy would align with growing consumer sentiment against games that feel incomplete without additional purchases. Alternatively, the studio may be planning to support these titles through free updates and enhancements, similar to their approach with Cyberpunk 2077’s extensive post-launch improvement campaign that eventually restored the game’s reputation.

The first game in this new trilogy, codenamed “Polaris,” is reportedly the furthest along in development and will begin an entirely new saga within the Witcher universe. Details remain scarce, but the studio has confirmed that players will not reprise the role of Geralt of Rivia, instead following a new protagonist in what promises to be a fresh chapter for the franchise. With 65 million players having experienced Wild Hunt and countless more discovering the series through various media adaptations, expectations for this next chapter could not be higher. CD Projekt RED’s gamble on quantity and completeness over extended post-launch support will be closely watched by the entire gaming industry as a potential new model for AAA game development.