CD Projekt Red Begins Development on New IP Project Hadar

CD Projekt Red has officially begun development work on Project Hadar, its first entirely original intellectual property. The studio behind The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 has completed the initial world-building phase and is now exploring how its new fictional universe will work as a video game.

According to IGN, Project Hadar has entered an early development stage, although it has not yet reached formal pre-production. The team is currently creating prototypes and testing gameplay ideas before moving into more advanced development.

CD Projekt co-CEO Michał Nowakowski described the project as one of the company's most ambitious undertakings. After several years of conceptual work, the studio now has a clearer vision of the game's world and its defining elements.

Project Hadar represents an important change for CD Projekt Red. The Witcher games are based on Andrzej Sapkowski's fantasy novels, while Cyberpunk 2077 draws from Mike Pondsmith's tabletop role-playing universe. Hadar, by comparison, is being developed entirely from the studio's own ideas.

More than 30 developers are reportedly involved in the project, with CD Projekt planning to expand the team to approximately 50 people by the end of 2026.

Despite this progress, the company has not revealed Project Hadar's setting, gameplay systems, characters, or release window. Its final genre and structure also remain unconfirmed.

With The Witcher 4 and the next Cyberpunk game already among its major projects, CD Projekt Red is preparing to establish another franchise built around an entirely new universe.