[STEAM] The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past Expansion 'Is, in a Way, a Prologue' for the Series' Future

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CD Projekt's newly-revealed

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expansion Songs of the Past will help set the stage for the upcoming

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, the developer has suggested.

While telling a standalone story starring Geralt set after the events of The Witcher 3, the new adventure will also act as a sort-of prologue to CD Projekt's next big blockbuster, according to the company's joint CEO Michał Nowakowski.

Speaking to investors, Nowakowski was questioned on how the expansion is being positioned in the franchise, why it is now launching in 2027 (after previously being expected this year) and whether any of CD Projekt's new trilogy of The Witcher games will also receive expansions, as The Witcher 3 has (don't hold your breath).

"First and foremost, we really wanted to deliver a great experience to the fans, a really cool expansion that's going to make people happy that they can come back to The Witcher 3 setting," Nowakowski said, discussing why Songs of the Past was being made.

"Of course, indirectly, yes, it is a reminder [of the franchise for fans]. It is, in a way, a prologue, although it's not a prologue in a verbatim way of [being] a prologue for the actual The Witcher 4. Yes, you can look at it as it's a way to maintain certain chatter on The Witcher 3. All of those are side effects, additional side effects. The core thing for us, from our perspective, is really delivering a high-quality, fun experience to the existing fans of The Witcher."

During a livestream yesterday aimed at The Witcher fans,

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— as glimpsed in a recent piece of artwork released to celebrate a springtime festival. Geralt's bard buddy Dandelion is also present.

"We had a moment where our plans assumed that Songs of the Past would be released this year," Nowakowski said, when questioned why the expansion was launching later than expected.

"We decided together with the development team, that the game will be launching in 2027, to be honest, to achieve the best possible result from the consumer standpoint, which in the end, frankly speaking, is the only ultimate thing that really matters."

CD Projekt's latest financial results show the company reported Q1 revenue of 191 million PLN ($52.5 million), up year-on-year, and net profit of 106 million PLN ($29 million). "These results stem from solid sales of our key titles and the revenue from their inclusion in the subscription catalogues," said CD Projekt CFO Piotr Nielubowicz.

The company currently employs 975 people, a headcount that has grown by more than 40 since February. The vast majority of its staff (now over 500) are working on The Witcher 4, while 163 people are assigned to Cyberpunk 2. Around 80 people are working on multiplayer Witcher spinoff Project Sirius, while 24 are building the studio's new IP codenamed Hadar.

There's still no word on when The Witcher 4 might arrive, but CD Projekt has

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. It's this plan which essentially rules out the possibility of further expansion content being made anytime soon, Nowakowski concluded.

"The plans are pretty ambitious," Nowakowski acknowledged. "It would be difficult, to be very honest, for us to add an expansion to the upcoming trilogy. This is where we are here and now with this particular issue."

Separately, CD Projekt also celebrated the fact that its Cyberpunk Trading Card Game campaign raised $28 million via Kickstarter, making it the platform's most successful gaming project ever, and the third-largest Kickstarter campaign of all time.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky

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