They have turned their backs on Geralt and Night City and are now going their own way. We take a look at their current projects:
Poland is slowly becoming one of the best European addresses for the development of high-quality games. This is due in part to all the talent that has been nurtured in CD Projekt Red”s Witcher forge – but also in part to the industry-wide problem of crunch phases.
Here we present some of the most promising projects in which these talents are now involved. But be warned: some projects don”t even have a name yet, let alone a release date. Why The Witcher 4 should also break new ground!
Table of Contents
All new players from former Witcher developers
Former Witcher developers working on Samurai game, first info revealed
At the new studio Dark Passenger, some developers have previously worked for CD Projekt. Now a multiplayer game with Ninjas and Samurai is to be created here
They have become very numerous in the meantime: Studios and projects that rely on the participation of veterans from CD Projekt. A game from the new studio Dark Passengers has now been announced. Here, too, former developers from Witcher and Cyberpunk are to help realise the vision:
It is a multiplayer game that lets you explore feudal Japan and fight against other players with katana, tanto or shuriken. You can find out more details about the game in this article.
Sneaking and fighting in Japan
(Genre: Multiplayer action game – Release: Not known – Developer: Dark Passenger)
In addition, they already reveal something about how the multiplayer game is supposed to look like:
- Current Graphics: I guess it will be pretty in any case. The cherry trees and pagodas of feudal Japan are to shine in the Unreal Engine 5. In addition, there is dynamic weather: a storm can break out at any time or fog can block your view.
- Promising world: Whether we will explore an open world is not yet revealed. However, we are supposed to meet many different characters in the game who belong to the most diverse social classes. They include beggars, villagers, nobles and samurai.
- Dark story: An ursopator has seized the throne by force and overthrown the rightful shogun. Anyone who dares to stand in the way of the new ruler doesn”t stand a chance and becomes part of his army against his will. You set out in search of powerful artefacts to learn more about the Ursopator and probably to overthrow him in the end.
- PvE and PvP gameplay: We play from a first-person perspective as either a male or female ninja and face the ruler”s henchmen in secret – if desired also with co-op colleagues. But we also fight against other players in the hunt for artefacts. The artefact hunt will probably be the core of the game, but should feel different every time.
- Spectacular battles: We can expect an arcade-heavy battle system, where we jump over arrows shot at other players, for example. We ourselves use swords, daggers, throwing stars and knives, as well as other weapons to defeat AI opponents and other players. We can customise and modify our equipment as we wish.
- Climbing and sneaking: The developers also promise a vertical map design that will allow us to climb onto rooftops and pagodas to reach our goal. In addition, we should also be able to hide under the floors of huts. In general, it is probably an advantage if we as ninja proceed as silently and hidden as possible.
We already know
Unfortunately, there are no images from the game or even a trailer yet. However, the developers show (on their website) three artworks for their project:
The still unnamed project of the Dark Passenger studio also involves some experienced developers who have previously worked on Witcher 3 or Cyberpunk. Here, a multiplayer action game from a first-person perspective with co-op, PvE and PvP elements is being created, which sends you as a ninja into feudal Japan.
In addition to arcade-heavy battles with a wide variety of weapons, vertical gameplay and sneaking will also play a major role. Mostly you”ll be hunting for artefacts with supernatural abilities, but you”ll have to compete with other players in the process.
Only time will tell whether all these hit candidates will eventually become real game gems. As always, we”ll keep you up to date.
Big decisions in Unreal Engine 5
(Genre: Role-playing game – Release: Not known – Developer: Rebel Wolves)
Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, the former game director of The Witcher 3, has a still unnamed fantasy role-playing game in the works with his team Rebel Wolves, which wants to tell a story that is as non-linear as possible with a high cinematic standard, in which we make far-reaching decisions.
The combat mechanics are supposed to be easy to learn and difficult to master, thus keeping the players captivated until the last minute as well as during further playthroughs. What else we know about the ambitious project, you can find out here:
It works without zombies
(Genre: Roleplaying game – Release: Not known – Developer: Techland)
The Polish studio Techland made a name for itself in the past with the western adventure Call of Juarez as well as the zombie action games Dead Island and Dying Light . With the help of former Witcher makers like Karolina Stachyra and Arkadiusz Borowik, they are now venturing into a still nameless fantasy role-playing game.
So far we at least know that it will be an open world with next-gen aspirations
Gloomy instead of bustling
(Genre: Building Strategy – Release: 2022 – Developer: Covenant)
Realism that”s fun
(Genre: Beat”em up – Release: 2022 (in Early Access since 16 February 2021) – Developer: Kubold)
Game developers have often tried to give players as much control and realism as possible in sword and fencing duels. Older vintages will remember the bumpy two-handed wielding in Die by the Sword from 1998, while more recently Kingdom Come: Deliverance probably came closest to achieving this.
It took a former animation artist from the Witcher series, however, to get a modern swordfighting simulation with a realistic combat system off the ground. In Hellish Quart weapons actually physically collide with each other and, thanks to fine animations and opponents with active ragdoll simulation, provide an extraordinary fighting feeling in the setting of the 17th century.
The game is the only one from this list already available in (Steam-Early-Access).
The Story Hope
(Genre: Action-Adventure – Release: 2023 – Developer: Starward Industries)
In the science fiction adventure The Invincible, you embark on a mission to rescue missing crew members on the planet Regis III. In the process, you come across the dark secret of the planet, among other things. The plot is based on the classic sci-fi novel The Invincible (1964) by Stanislaw Lem.
When it was announced, the title, which is being developed by the ex-developers of The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077!
Richly Unusual
(Genre: Role Playing Game – Release: Not Known – Developer: Fool”s Theory)
In the temporarily codenamed Vitriol game, you live in early 20th century Warsaw under Russian Tsarist rule – but imperialist oppression is not your biggest problem.
As one of a few people, you can see behind the facade of reality and know about the darkness that threatens Warsaw.
What is your personal highlight from former Witcher developers that you are most looking forward to? Feel free to write it down in the comments!
