"Witcher 4 Aiming for PS6 and Next-Gen Xbox Release by 2027"

Don't hold your breath for The Witcher 4. According to CD Projekt, the developers behind the game, it won't be out until 2027 at the earliest. During a financial call discussing future profit projections, CD Projekt stated, "Even though we do not plan to release The Witcher 4 by the end of 2026, we are still driven by this financial goal. And although it’s very ambitious, we stand a chance of achieving it within the given timeframe." This statement effectively rules out a release this year, which was not widely anticipated, and a launch next year, which some had hoped for. It sets 2027 as the earliest possible release date for The Witcher 4. However, considering the unpredictable nature of the video game industry, a 2028 release seems within the realm of possibility.

With a 2027 release at the earliest, The Witcher 4 might be targeting the next generation of consoles. Sony is likely working on plans for the PlayStation 6, and Microsoft is rumored to be aiming for a 2027 release for a successor to the Xbox Series X and an Xbox handheld. The question arises: will The Witcher 4 be a cross-gen game, similar to Cyberpunk 2077 which launched in December 2020 across multiple console generations? If so, could it also be available on the Nintendo Switch 2? While this seems unlikely at first glance, considering The Witcher 3 made it to the Switch, it's not entirely out of the question.

Here's what we know about The Witcher 4: it's the first in a new trilogy set after the events of The Witcher 3, and it will feature Ciri as the protagonist instead of Geralt. In an exclusive interview with IGN ahead of the game's reveal, executive producer Małgorzata Mitręga explained why Ciri was chosen as the main character: "It was always about her, starting from Saga when you read it in the books. She's an amazing, layered character. And of course, as a protagonist we said goodbye to Geralt previously. So this is a continuation. I guess for all of us it’s like she was meant to be. That was always her."

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In January, as part of a broader interview with IGN about Netflix's upcoming animated film, The Witcher: Sirens of The Deep, Geralt's voice actor Doug Cockle expressed his support for CD Projekt's decision to shift the focus to Ciri: "I'm really excited. I think it's a really good move. I mean, I always thought that continuing the Saga, but shifting to Ciri would be a really, really interesting move for all kinds of reasons, but mostly because of things that happen in the books, which I don't want to give away because people, I want people to go read. So yeah, I think it's really exciting. I can't wait. I can't wait to see what they've done."

In February, the director of The Witcher 4 clarified that a new video featured the same in-game model of Ciri, dispelling rumors that her face looked different.

For more exclusive content on The Witcher 4, including a trailer breakdown and an interview where CD Projekt discusses how they plan to avoid a Cyberpunk 2077-style launch disaster, stay tuned.