CD Projekt Red has laid off 18 staff members from Project Sirius, its embattled multiplayer Witcher spinoff. The cuts represent roughly a quarter of the game's total team, according to reporting from Kotaku and confirmation from the studio itself to IGN. The layoffs mark another setback for a project that has already weathered multiple rounds of internal turbulence since its announcement.
Project Sirius represents CD Projekt Red's attempt to expand the Witcher franchise beyond single-player adventures like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The studio positioned the multiplayer spinoff as a live-service experience designed to tap into the lucrative multiplayer gaming market. However, the project has struggled to gain momentum. Development challenges and shifting player expectations around live-service games have created a difficult environment for the title.
The studio provided a statement to IGN acknowledging the layoffs but did not outline specific reasons for the reduction. Context suggests the cuts stem from internal reassessment of the project's scope, budget, or commercial viability. Live-service games demand sustained investment, large teams, and careful market positioning. Stumbles in execution or player acquisition can quickly drain resources. Project Sirius apparently reached a point where CD Projekt Red felt it necessary to downsize operations rather than continue at current capacity.
This layoff follows a pattern of difficulty for the project. Earlier reports detailed internal complications and shifting direction for the multiplayer experience. CD Projekt Red has not provided a release window or gameplay details that captured player enthusiasm. The silence around Project Sirius stands in sharp contrast to the studio's public focus on The Witcher 4, its next major single-player release that employs over twice the team size of Project Sirius.
The timing reflects broader industry turbulence. Multiple studios have scaled back or cancelled multiplayer projects over the past two years as the live-service market became saturated and player spending habits shifted. Concord failed spectacularly after a massive investment. Helldivers 2 found breakthrough success, but stands as an exception rather than the rule. Studios now approach new multiplayer projects with greater caution.
For CD Projekt Red specifically, the layoffs signal a potential recalibration of priorities. The studio has faced reputational damage from The Witcher 3's launch issues on console and Cyberpunk 2077's disastrous debut. Rebuilding trust with players requires delivering polished, well-received experiences. Splitting resources across both Project Sirius and The Witcher 4 may have strained the studio's ability to deliver on either title at the quality level players expect.
The 18 affected employees now enter a difficult job market. The gaming industry has conducted thousands of layoffs over the past 18 months, creating fierce competition for open positions. Many veteran developers have pivoted to freelance work or indie projects as studio employment has contracted.
Project Sirius remains technically in active development, but the reduced team size suggests meaningful delays or significant scope reduction lie ahead. CD Projekt Red has not announced a new release timeline. Without clear communication about the project's direction, player interest will likely continue to cool. The studio must decide whether to commit fully to rebuilding the multiplayer experience or quietly wind down operations and redirect that talent to The Witcher 4, where expectations already run extremely high.