If you think that’s in line with what The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077 have brought to the table, which left us thinking about their worlds long after the credits rolled, you’re pretty much on the money. Of course, we’re quite optimistic about the studio behind those two classics having more than a few tricks up its sleeve as the game begins to take shape.

That’s now a strong possibility considering recent statements from CD Projekt joint CEO Michał Nowakowski, although we’re curious to know more about how the studio is managing its time between The Witcher 3 – Songs of the Past and, of course, The Witcher 4. It’s way too early for guessing games at this point, but given the developer’s track record, Project Hadar has us excited. Now all that’s left is to wait for more updates, ideally sooner rather than later.

In a recent financial earnings call, CD Projekt joint CEO Michał Nowakowski revealed that “the expansion is now in an advanced phase of production. Around 190 developers, most of them from our trusted partners at Fool’s Theory, are currently working with us on the project. At the same time, CD Projekt RED provides the creative oversight to safeguard the quality of the Witcher experience.”

How many developers from CDPR are involved remains unknown, but as of April 30th, 2026, there are 163 developers currently working on Project Orion aka Cyberpunk 2. Project Sirius, a multiplayer Witcher spin-off developed by The Molasses Flood, is next up at 83 developers, while Project Hadar has dropped from 26 to 24.

The Witcher 4 continues to command the lion’s share of resources with 513 developers currently, up from 499 in February. With CD Projekt RED’s focus split between its two core projects, it’s understandable that Fool’s Theory is handling the bulk of the expansion. Whether it’s affecting development on The Witcher Remake is a different question altogether.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Songs of the Past launches in 2027 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, with a reveal confirmed for Gamescom. However, you should expect something akin to a guided demo rather than hands-on time, per Nowakowski.

When asked if expansions for the new Witcher trilogy were possible, given the company’s “very ambitious project pipeline,” he replied, “As you mentioned in the question, the plans are pretty ambitious. Specifically, it’s to release three Witcher games within a six-year period. 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.”

In case you missed it, CD Projekt has been adamant that after The Witcher 4’s launch, The Witcher 5 and The Witcher 6 would arrive afterwards in a span of six years. So assuming Ciri’s first solo adventure launches in 2027, that would mean the next chapter could debut in 2030, followed by the saga’s potential conclusion in 2033.

Now, you could say that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt received its first expansion, Hearts of Stone, in October 2015, just a few months after the base game, followed by Blood and Wine in May 2016. However, keep in mind that Cyberpunk 2077, a brand new title, launched over five years later (development troubles aside).

If the company wants the same level of quality from The Witcher 5 and 6, if not higher, given the progression of the story, it makes sense to focus all their resources on the same. The possibility of expansions for any of these games isn’t exactly zero, if Songs of the Past arriving more than 11 years after The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt wasn’t enough indication, but for now, CD Projekt RED has bigger priorities.

While Joint CEO Michał Nowakowski used that term to describe the expansion, he offered clarification on a financial earnings call. “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. But of course, indirectly, yes, it is a reminder [about the franchise]. It is, in a way, a prologue, although it’s not a prologue in a verbatim way in [that] it’s a prologue for the actual Witcher 4.”

In short, consider it as more of a stopgap that should reignite interest in the franchise before the new trilogy with Ciri begins. “Yes, you can look at it in a way [that] it’s a way to maintain certain chatter on The Witcher 3, but all of those are additional side effects. The core thing from our perspective is really delivering a high-quality, fun experience to the existing fans of The Witcher.”

But when can we expect the sequel? Nowakowski wouldn’t offer any details on release dates or discuss the impact of Songs of the Past on The Witcher 4. Regarding the expansion’s price, he replied, “We are going to reveal that when the right [time] comes.”

There will be a reveal at Gamescom in August, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s hands-on for attendees. “I cannot really talk through the details, but what I would suggest is that historically when we were showing Witcher games, we were typically doing a guided demo kind of experience, so probably you should be thinking more along those lines rather than a hands-on experience,” said Nowakowski.

While an appearance on Gamescom Opening Night Live seems more or less a given, it’s unknown whether this “guided demo” – if it indeed happens – will be present. CD Projekt RED could present a cinematic teaser trailer and then present a guided walkthrough of sorts while the trade fair is ongoing. At this point, it’s unknown, but the company is set on showing more.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Songs of the Past launches in 2027 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, and has been described as similar in scope to Blood and Wine. There were plans to release it this year, but CD Projekt ultimately decided on 2027 to ensure the best experience for players.

What happened? In a recent earnings call, CD Projekt Joint CEO Michał Nowakowski confirmed that, “We had a moment where our plans for Songs of the Past would be released this year. However, we decided, together with the development team, that the game will be launching in 2027 to achieve the best possible result from the consumer standpoint, which, in the end, frankly speaking, is the only thing that really matters.”

CD Projekt’s own admission that it had new content in the works further reinforced plans for a 2026 launch. “For several quarters, we’ve been disclosing that our pipeline includes some unannounced projects that are in an advanced production stage,” said chief financial officer Piotr Nielubowicz. “One of those is the expansion being co-developed by Fool’s Theory. Our early plans assumed that Songs of the Past could be released this year; however, we decided that it will be launching in 2027.”

Interestingly, Nowakowski threw his own hat in the ring regarding the overall size and scope, especially compared to Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine. Much like the recent anniversary livestream for the latter, he admitted that it’s “actually a bit closer to Blood and Wine” in terms of scope, but added, “this is super-subjective. It really depends on how you’re going to play – what’s your playthrough. But we’re definitely making a proper big expansion is the message I would send out there.”

So while it’s possible for someone to put in a dozen or so hours to complete the story, others may take time to smell the roses (assuming there are any where Geralt is going). The fact that HowLongToBeat rates a completionist run for Blood and Wine at 40.5 hours is indicative of the same, but there are other variables to consider there as well – such as how a “leisurely playthrough” can take 127 hours and 44 minutes.

Regardless, Songs of the Past is an expansion – “Big, massive, monster!” as lead quest designer Paweł Sasko quoted Idris Elba from his days playing Solomon Reed in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. But we’ll need to wait for more details, specifically at Gamescom 2026 in August, ahead of its launch next year. As always, stay tuned.

It appeared in a previous artwork of Geralt sitting by a bonfire during a festival called Belletyn. Dandelion is nearby with a poem, and clear as day, you can see the sword. CD Projekt RED’s senior community and social media manager, Laura Beitzel, acknowledged the art in the recent Blood and Wine 10th Anniversary stream while claiming that more “hints” await.

“We won’t give too much away right now because we want you to experience it as you play, but as a few eagle-eyed people have already seen over the past 24 hours, there are some hints waiting for you on a very important evening in Witcher lore, Belleteyn Night, in our Belleteyn celebration that we shared a few weeks ago. So, keep looking for clues.”

Regarding the Songs of the Past key art, community and social media manager Amelia Korzycka added, “So yes, Geralt is holding a sword. It is a very important sword for the story, and you will get to know it when the game comes out. So a few more streams before that when [we] reveal it.”

And while Songs of the Past is an expansion, you may be wondering how it compares to the developer’s previous work. Good news: It’s more akin to Blood and Wine, which is bigger than Hearts of Stone.

“Songs of the Past will be aligned with what you’re familiar with in Blood and Wine, and what you’ve come to experience and expect from us when we do our expansions,” said Beitzel. “It’s an expansion, let’s make it clear.”

Considering how meaty Bloody and Wine was, requiring 15 hours to finish the story and an additional 13 or so for the side content, it’s safe to say that Songs of the Past will have much to offer. It’s out in 2027 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC, but a reveal has been confirmed for Gamescom in August. Stay tuned for updates until then.

Which would make the expansion a prime candidate for a reveal at Gamescom Opening Night Live. Of course, we wouldn’t put it past CD Projekt RED to have even more details when the trade fair opens to the public. Maybe even some hands-on gameplay for attendees.

Co-developed by Fool’s Theory, which is also working on The Witcher Remake, Songs of the Past promises to be a “fresh adventure” for long-time fans and a “first encounter” for new players, especially if they know nothing about the universe. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt continues to sell gangbusters, recently crossing 65 million units sold, so it seems a given that the expansion will attract plenty of newcomers.

That would serve as a great way to set up Ciri’s journey in The Witcher 4. Perhaps a concrete release date for Songs of the Past will provide some clues on when the next mainline title could launch. As always, we’ll need to wait, but check out the updated PC requirements in the meantime.

It’s good news for the company, and as Joint CEO Michał Nowakowski notes, there’s “a huge community of gamers for whom the new expansion provides an excellent opportunity to again hit the trail with the White Wolf.”

It can also “see great potential for Songs of the Past to become the first encounter with The Witcher universe, as well as the beginning of a fresh adventure, for many gamers – even as we await the release of The Witcher 4.” Both “first encounter” and “fresh adventure” are interesting because they could hint at the premise of Songs of the Past.

The latter implies that there are no ties to Hearts of Stone and Blood of Wine, which makes sense given that Geralt’s journey was pretty much wrapped. But the former could also just as easily imply a clean slate as a soft reintroduction to the world of The Witcher. With Crossroads of Ravens serving as a prequel for the books, detailing Geralt’s first kill as a Witcher, maybe there’s some connection there.

That’s a story for 2027 when the expansion launches (or later this Summer, when CD Projekt RED reveals more info). In the meantime, the CD Projekt Group reported 191 million PLN (about $52.68 million) in revenues and 106 million PLN (roughly $29.24 million) in consolidated net earnings. Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt continue to see strong sales, per CFO Piotr Nielubowicz, and even with successive increases in investment, the company maintains a steady cash reserve of 1.4 billion PLN ($386,113,000).

“We are well prepared to further intensify our parallel development work on several projects in the context of our excellent franchises,” said Nielubowicz, doubtless referring to The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2. As for Songs of the Past, stay tuned for more updates in the coming months.

And what better way to do so than with a clip of Idris Elba, who played Solomon Reed in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty? Before the latter’s launch, he answered a fan question presented by IGN about the story of the “DLC.” Elba responded in his usual charismatic way, “Just to be clear – it’s not a DLC. It’s an expansion. You know why? Because we do expansions. Big, massive, monster! We don’t do DLCs, and when we do, we give them away.”

You could take this as Sasko claiming that Songs of the Past will follow the same pattern and deliver an absolutely massive experience. You could also look at it as a flex – that when CD Projekt RED says “expansion,” it’s promising something truly monstrous and not something to hand out for free like DLC.

Either way, we won’t truly know about Songs of the Past until later this Summer when the developer reveals more. Odds are it could end up setting the stage for The Witcher 4’s events. Maybe it ties into Crossroads of Ravens, the last novel in the series. Either way, like Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine before it, you can expect something special. Just make sure your PC hardware is up to snuff first.

“We originally planned to make this big reveal during our REDstreams tomorrow,” wrote CD Projekt RED. “But let’s say we found something we didn’t yet expect on RED Launcher.”

While it didn’t go into more detail about what this RED Launcher discovery was, it is easy to assume that it might have been an accidental leak about the expansion, revealing it to players well before any official announcement had been made.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Songs of the Past is slated for release on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S in 2027. CD Projekt RED hasn’t yet revealed too many details about it, aside from the fact that it will once more feature series protagonist Geralt of Rivia setting off on a “new adventure”. Other aspects, like its setting, haven’t yet been confirmed.

Shortly after announcing the expansion, CD Projekt RED also announced that it was raising the hardware requirements for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. In a social media post, the developer said that this was being done to “ensure smooth performance and compatibility going forward.” The studio also confirmed that the open-world RPG will run exclusively on DirectX 12.

Songs of the Past was announced after several rumors had indicated that CD Projekt RED was working on an expansion alongside Fool’s Theory. However, at the time, one analyst believed that the company would have released the DLC by now. The analyst has also said that the DLC will be priced at $30, and that it will be a part of the company celebrating the 11th anniversary of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which was released on PC, Xbox One, and PS4 in 2015.

The analyst, Mateusz Chrzanowski of Noble Securities, also believed that the release of this expansion would kick off the proper marketing plans for The Witcher 4, which doesn’t yet have a release window.

Interestingly, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt did quite a bit already to bring a satisfying end to Geralt’s overall story arc, especially with its Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine DLCs. With CD Projekt RED already having confirmed that The Witcher 4 will feature Ciri as its primary protagonist, it is likely that Songs of the Past might end up acting as a send-off to Geralt.

In the meantime, there have also been rumors indicating that the DLC’s story will largely take place around Velen, contrasting reports that it would instead take place in a new region, Zerrikania.

In the meantime, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. PC players can also enjoy the title on the go thanks to its excellent support for the Steam Deck.