Will there be a Witcher 4? Here's what we know

Will there be a Witcher 4? Maybe, but it’s not coming anytime soon—and while it seems likely that developer CD Projekt Red will eventually make another Withcher game, it probably won't have a "4" in the title.

CD Projekt Red is currently hard at work on its most ambitious game yet, Cyberpunk 2077. It’s looking great, but I can’t help but wish for a proper return to the unforgettable fantasy world of The Witcher.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of the greatest RPGs of all time, so an eventual sequel would be highly anticipated. So much, in fact, that there’s no shortage of rumors about a theoretical fourth Witcher game, and CD Projekt has commented on the possibility a few times. We’ve gathered everything we know for sure about the next Witcher game so you can manage your expectations accordingly.

CD Projekt just signed a new deal with Witcher creator Andrzej Sapkowski

CD Projekt famously got the rights to make Witcher games for a flat up-front fee, which novelist Andrzej Sapkowski wasn't thrilled about after the games became enormously popular. Since 2018 the two parties have been negotiating a new deal, and in December 2019 they finally reached it. The new agreement "solidifies and reinforces the company’s relationship with Mr. Andrzej Sapkowski—author of The Witcher saga."

The most interesting quote, however, is this one: "The agreement confers new rights upon the Company and reaffirms its existing title to 'The Witcher' intellectual property in developing video games, graphic novels, board games and merchandise."

That doesn't spell out that new videogames are on the way, but it's a sure sign that CD Projekt has a long-term interest in The Witcher.

CD Projekt Red has been somewhat vague about the future of The Witcher game series, but it’s at least clear that the studio needs to take a break from that world. In a 2017 investor call, CDPR co-founder and CEO Marcin Iwinski said that the studio is not abandoning The Witcher forever, but it’s not the current focus. "For the past ten years the team has been working on swords and castles and medieval Slavic monsters. So I think it’s time for some guns, androids, and some ammo."

That’s fair. After three massive RPGs in the same universe and the same character, you naturally want to do something new. Cyberpunk 2077 is in many ways The Witcher's opposite, so it fits the bill. He also reiterated that the studio values The Witcher highly. "We like this world a lot. We invested 15 years of our lives in it and a lot of money. So, we’ll think about [another Witcher game] at some point. But please consider us as rational people, we sometimes have weird ideas but overall our thinking is very rational. We have full rights to The Witcher games. They are ours. We have invested enormous funds into promoting it, and it’s a very strong brand."

So, yes, CDPR loves The Witcher and knows that players would get excited about another sequel. After all, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt sold over 20 million copies. But it’s working on other stuff, so it might be a long time before we see a full-fledged return to the fantasy world.

Gwent spin-off Thronebreaker, released in late 2018, had disappointing sales, and the competitive Gwent card game never really broke out of Hearthstone's shadow. But it does continue to be supported, so a small part of CD Projekt Red is still embedded in the Witcher universe, even if another big game isn't in development.