Project Hadar CD Projekt Red’s third franchise just moved from vaporware into something tangible. During its March 2026 earnings call, the Polish studio confirmed that work on the mysterious new IP is progressing beyond conceptual doodling—the team has established foundations and is now building prototypes directly in Unreal Engine.
Key Takeaways
- Project Hadar is CD Projekt Red’s entirely new franchise, separate from Witcher and Cyberpunk universes.
- Early conceptual work began in 2021; the studio is now prototyping specific game elements in Unreal Engine.
- The project remains in its earliest creative stages—no actual game development has started yet.
- Hadar represents CD Projekt Red’s long-term strategy recovery following Cyberpunk 2077’s troubled launch.
- A dedicated strike team is working exclusively on the new IP’s foundational setting and mechanics.
What Project Hadar CD Projekt Red Actually Is Right Now
Project Hadar is a codename for CD Projekt Red’s third, entirely distinct intellectual property, created from scratch within the studio and separate from The Witcher and Cyberpunk universes. The project is in the earliest stages of the creative process. According to CD Projekt Red’s official statement, the team is not developing any game yet, but working exclusively on the foundation for this new setting. The studio began conceptual work in 2021, marking the first time CD Projekt Red has incubated an IP entirely within its own walls, without external collaboration or licensed properties.
Michał Nowakowski, the board member responsible for business development, emphasized the foundational nature of current work: the studio is still working on basic concepts and laying the groundwork for this new franchise. A dedicated strike team operates exclusively on Hadar, designing specific elements that might be included in the eventual game, creating multiple prototypes, and implementing them directly in Unreal Engine.
Why This Matters for CD Projekt Red’s Future
Project Hadar exists within a broader three-franchise strategy. Alongside Hadar, CD Projekt Red is developing The Witcher 4 (codenamed Polaris), which currently has 499 developers assigned to it, with plans for two sequels within six years. Separately, a new North America studio is handling Cyberpunk’s sequel in pre-production. This three-pronged approach signals that CD Projekt Red is not betting its future on any single franchise—a deliberate shift from the Cyberpunk 2077 launch disaster that damaged the studio’s reputation.
The emphasis on internal IP incubation also marks a strategic pivot. Rather than acquiring external properties or licensing established universes, CD Projekt Red is building something entirely new from the ground up. This approach requires patience and capital but gives the studio complete creative and financial control over a franchise that could define the next decade of its output.
The Long Road Ahead for Project Hadar CD Projekt Red
Do not expect announcements about Project Hadar’s genre, setting, or mechanics anytime soon. The studio is still in the prototyping phase, testing what works in Unreal Engine before committing to a full game development cycle. Studio executives, including Adam Kiciński, have stated the company’s mission to create revolutionary role-playing games with memorable stories that inspire gamers, but this aspiration lacks specifics about what Hadar will actually be.
The timeline is deliberately vague. CD Projekt Red has hinted at a multi-decade development horizon for its three franchises, but no concrete release windows exist for Hadar. This is both realistic and frustrating—the studio learned from Cyberpunk 2077 that overpromising timelines destroys trust. By keeping expectations low and progress updates sparse, CD Projekt Red avoids repeating that mistake.
How Hadar Compares to CD Projekt Red’s Existing Franchises
Project Hadar stands apart from The Witcher and Cyberpunk in one crucial way: it exists entirely on CD Projekt Red’s terms, with no pre-existing lore, characters, or fan expectations to manage. The Witcher adapted Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels; Cyberpunk drew from the tabletop RPG. Hadar must succeed or fail on the studio’s original creative vision alone. This removes the safety net of established intellectual property but offers unlimited creative freedom.
The resource allocation also differs. The Witcher 4 has 499 developers working on it, while Hadar’s team size remains unspecified—suggesting a leaner strike team focused on foundational work rather than production-scale development. This is appropriate for the project’s current stage, but it also means Hadar will remain in the shadows while The Witcher 4 dominates CD Projekt Red’s public messaging for years.
Is Project Hadar Real or Just Corporate Hedging?
The March 2026 earnings update proves Hadar is not a vaporware placeholder. CD Projekt Red shared specific details about Unreal Engine prototyping and foundational design work during an investor relations call—the kind of statement that invites shareholder scrutiny if it proves false. The studio also emphasized that early-stage conceptual work commenced in 2021, providing a five-year timeline of internal development. This level of detail, shared publicly with financial stakeholders, suggests genuine progress rather than aspirational planning.
Still, the studio’s caution is warranted. Cyberpunk 2077 taught the industry that ambitious promises made too early invite disappointment. By keeping Project Hadar in stealth mode and releasing only foundational updates, CD Projekt Red is managing expectations while building something substantial behind closed doors.
What happens next with Project Hadar CD Projekt Red?
The next meaningful update will likely come when CD Projekt Red moves from prototyping into full pre-production—probably years away. The studio will reveal genre, setting, and core mechanics only when the foundations are solid enough to support public discussion without inviting speculation-fueled backlash.
How does Project Hadar fit into CD Projekt Red’s three-franchise strategy?
Hadar is the long-term play. While The Witcher 4 launches within the next few years and Cyberpunk’s sequel enters pre-production, Hadar is deliberately kept in early development. This allows CD Projekt Red to maintain franchise momentum across Witcher and Cyberpunk while building an entirely new property that could define the studio’s 2030s output.
Why did CD Projekt Red wait until 2026 to share a Hadar update?
The studio learned from Cyberpunk 2077 that overpromising and underdelivering destroys credibility. By remaining silent for years and sharing updates only during earnings calls, CD Projekt Red avoids hype cycles and manages investor expectations conservatively. This approach prioritizes trust over marketing momentum.
Project Hadar represents CD Projekt Red’s most important bet since Cyberpunk 2077—not because it will launch soon, but because it signals the studio is thinking beyond the next two years. The March 2026 update, buried in an earnings presentation, proves the work is real. Everything else—genre, setting, release date—can wait until the foundations are unmovable.
Edited by the All Things Geek team.
Source: TechRadar
