Development of The Witcher multiplayer spin-off Project Sirius has suffered another setback, with CD Projekt confirming layoffs and a reduction in the size of the team working on the game.
Project Sirius has been in development for several years and was originally being developed by The Molasses Flood before the studio was integrated into CD Projekt RED. The project has already gone through significant changes, including a major reboot in 2023, and the latest restructuring has reduced its development team from 83 people to 65.
CD Projekt Red Cuts Project Sirius Development Team
According to a report from Kotaku, nine developers have been laid off, while another nine have been given the opportunity to move to other projects within CD Projekt.
Four of the affected employees were based at CD Projekt’s Boston office, while another five worked in Warsaw.
CD Projekt confirmed the changes in a statement, explaining:
“We adjusted the size of the Sirius team to reflect the project’s needs at this stage of development.”
“We adjusted the size of the Sirius team to reflect the project’s needs at this stage of development.”
Before the restructuring, 83 developers were reportedly assigned to Project Sirius. With nine employees leaving the company and another nine moving away from the project, the development team has now been reduced to approximately 65 people.
Project Sirius Has Already Had a Difficult Development
This isn’t the first major change Project Sirius has faced.
The Witcher multiplayer project underwent a substantial reboot in 2023, with CD Projekt reassessing the game’s direction in an attempt to reduce development costs before committing further resources.
The Molasses Flood, the studio originally responsible for the project, was later fully integrated into CD Projekt RED.
Despite the turbulent development, Project Sirius remains in production and is intended to offer a different experience from the mainline Witcher games.
Previous information surrounding the project suggested it would combine multiplayer gameplay with story-driven elements, potentially making it considerably different from the traditional single-player RPG structure associated with The Witcher franchise.
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Should Fans Be Worried About Project Sirius?
The reduction from 83 developers to 65 doesn’t necessarily mean Project Sirius is in danger of cancellation, particularly as CD Projekt says the adjustment reflects the game’s current development requirements.
However, the project’s history makes the latest development notable.
Project Sirius has now experienced a reboot, organizational changes, and multiple adjustments to its development team while remaining without a confirmed release date.
For now, CD Projekt RED continues to have several Witcher projects in development, with The Witcher 4 serving as the company’s major upcoming release while Project Sirius aims to provide a separate multiplayer experience within the same universe.
Whether Project Sirius ultimately survives its complicated development and becomes the multiplayer Witcher experience CD Projekt originally envisioned remains to be seen.
Would you be interested in a multiplayer-focused Witcher game, or would you rather CD Projekt concentrate entirely on single-player titles like The Witcher 4? Let us know in the comments below.
