The Witcher Project Sirius Finalizes its “New Framework,” Some Work Seemingly Salvaged

CD Projekt Red has a whole lot of The Witcher projects in the works, including Project Sirius, a somewhat more experimental take on the series from the Boston-based studio The Molasses Flood (previously of Drake Hollow and The Flame in The Flood). Unfortunately, Project Sirius recently hit a bump in the road, with CD Projekt Red announcing the were re-evaluating the “scope and commercial potential of the original concept of Project Sirius” and “formulating a new framework for this project.”

That didn’t sound terribly promising, but it seems things may have worked out for the best behind the scenes, as today CD Projekt Red released a new memo, saying they’ve officially defined a new framework for the Project Sirius. Interestingly, it seems CD Projekt Red is no longer taking as large a hit on past Project Sirius expenses. Previously, CDPR planned to take an impairment on around $8 million dollars of Project Sirius development costs, but now they’re partially reversing that, reducing their write-off by around $5 million. While we don’t know what this means for sure, it would seem to indicate that CD Projekt Red and The Molasses Flood have decided to salvage some of the existing Project Sirius work after all.

Little about Project Sirius has been revealed, other than it will be an “innovative take” on The Witcher universe and will tell an “unforgettable story.” Earlier this year, a series of The Molasses Flood job ads indicated the game will feature action-based combat, co-op, procedurally-generated elements, and branching or non-linear storytelling. It sounds like more of a multiplayer live-service game, with some story elements, was the goal rather than a more traditional RPG experience. Of course, we don’t really know what Project Sirius might have transformed into now that the “new framework” has been established, but I don’t imagine it’s changed that much.

CD Projekt Red has not announced platforms or a release window for The Witcher Project Sirius, but don’t expect it any time too soon. What do you think? Interested to see what form Project Sirius may end up taking? Or has the uncertainty surrounding the project put you off?