Witcher Multiplayer Project Suffers Another Round Of Layoffs
The Journey of Project Sirius: CD Projekt Red's Resilient Witcher Spin-off
In the fast-paced world of video game development, projects come and go. Some games are announced with massive fanfare, only to disappear into the shadows of "development hell." Others are quietly canceled when creative differences or financial hurdles become too difficult to overcome. However, there are a select few games that refuse to fade away, standing strong through restructuring, creative reboots, and difficult corporate changes.
One of the most talked-about survivors in recent gaming history is Project Sirius. First announced in late 2022 by the legendary Polish publisher CD Projekt Red, this ambitious spin-off of The Witcher franchise has had a turbulent journey. Now, four years and two difficult rounds of staff layoffs later, the game remains actively in development.
But what is Project Sirius, why has its path to release been so rocky, and what does its survival tell us about the future of CD Projekt Red? In this deep-dive article, we will break down the history, the challenges, and the current state of this highly anticipated multiplayer Witcher adventure.
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What is Project Sirius?
To understand Project Sirius, we first have to look back at the studio behind its hands-on development: The Molasses Flood. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, The Molasses Flood is an American game development studio known for creating high-quality, charming, and mechanically deep survival games like The Flame in the Flood and Drake Hollow.
In October 2021, CD Projekt Red acquired The Molasses Flood. The goal of this acquisition was clear: CDPR wanted to expand its horizons. Traditionally known for massive, single-player, story-driven Role-Playing Games (RPGs) like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077, the Polish giant wanted to diversify its portfolio. They saw an opportunity to bring fresh multiplayer experiences to their world-renowned intellectual properties.
When Project Sirius was officially announced in October 2022, it was described as an innovative take on the Witcher universe. Unlike the mainline Witcher titles, which focus solely on the solo journey of Geralt of Rivia, Sirius was designed to offer both single-player narrative gameplay and multiplayer cooperative action. It was built to appeal to a broader audience, including players who might find the massive, complex systems of the core RPGs a bit too intimidating.
---The Ambitious 2022 CD Projekt Red Roadmap
The announcement of Project Sirius was not an isolated event. It was part of a massive, long-term strategic update shared by CD Projekt Red in late 2022. During this presentation, the company unveiled an incredibly ambitious lineup of future titles, which included:
- Project Polaris: The beginning of a brand-new Witcher trilogy, built on Unreal Engine 5.
- Project Canis Majoris: A full, modern remake of the original 2007 The Witcher game, being developed by external partner Fool's Theory.
- Project Orion: The highly anticipated sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, spearheaded by CDPR’s newly established Boston studio.
- Project Hadar: A completely new, original intellectual property created entirely from scratch by CDPR.
- Project Sirius: The multiplayer-focused Witcher spin-off developed by The Molasses Flood, with support from CDPR.
This roadmap sent waves of excitement through the global gaming community. However, industry experts wondered how a company that had struggled with the launch of Cyberpunk 2077 could manage so many major projects at the same time. The answer, as we would soon learn, involved a lot of trial, error, and painful adjustments.
---The 2023 Pivot: What Went Wrong with the Original Vision?
For a few months after the announcement, things seemed quiet. But in March 2023, CD Projekt Red released a surprising regulatory announcement to its investors. The company revealed that it had recorded an "impairment charge" regarding Project Sirius.
In simple business terms, an impairment charge means that the money already spent on a project is written off as a loss because the asset is no longer valued at its original cost. CDPR had spent roughly $9.7 million (42.9 million PLN) on the initial development of Sirius, and they decided to write that cost off. Furthermore, they wrote off another $2.2 million (9.7 million PLN) in early 2023.
This news shocked the gaming world. Why did a major publisher decide to scrap millions of dollars of work?
According to CDPR’s management, the original design framework of Project Sirius did not align with the company's long-term standards and commercial expectations. Essentially, after evaluating the initial prototypes built by The Molasses Flood, CDPR realized that the game was not shaping up to be the hit they needed. Rather than continuing down a flawed path and falling into the "sunk cost fallacy," CDPR made the tough decision to halt development, throw out the old design, and completely reboot the project from scratch.
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The Human Cost: First Wave of Layoffs (May 2023)
Rebooting a video game is not just a financial decision; it has real, life-altering impacts on the human beings who build it. When a project's scope is redefined and the code is thrown out, the staffing needs of the studio change drastically.
In May 2023, shortly after the announcement of the creative reboot, CD Projekt Red confirmed that it had laid off 29 employees at The Molasses Flood. In addition, nine other staff members working on the project at CDPR's main offices were also let go.
At the time, CDPR released a statement explaining that because the game’s concept had been redefined, the team size had to be scaled down to match the new direction. While this is a common practice in the corporate world, it was a painful blow to the close-knit team at The Molasses Flood, who had spent years poured into the original vision of the game.
---Defining the New Direction for Project Sirius
Following the reboot and the initial round of layoffs, CDPR and The Molasses Flood went back to the drawing board. They needed to create a game that was financially viable, technically achievable, and deeply satisfying for fans of The Witcher.
While specific details about the revised gameplay remain closely guarded secrets, job listings and executive interviews have given us some valuable clues. The "new" version of Project Sirius appears to keep the core mix of multiplayer and single-player elements, but with a much clearer, more focused scope.
Industry insiders suggest that the game is moving away from a traditional "live-service" model—which requires constant, massive content updates over many years—and is instead focusing on a highly polished cooperative PvE (Player vs. Environment) experience. This style of game allows players to team up to hunt monsters in the Witcher universe, complete story quests together, and explore stylized landscapes, while still allowing solo players to enjoy a rich, narrative-focused campaign on their own.
By blending the survival and crafting expertise of The Molasses Flood with CD Projekt Red's mastery of dark, atmospheric storytelling, the team hopes to create a game that feels unique, yet entirely respectful of Andrzej Sapkowski’s original fantasy world.
---The Storm Continues: The Second Round of Layoffs
The challenges for Project Sirius did not end in 2023. The broader video game industry has faced an unprecedented wave of restructuring, downsizings, and studio closures over the last few years. Sadly, CD Projekt Red and its subsidiary studios were not immune to these harsh macroeconomic pressures.
As development on Sirius continued into its third and fourth years, CDPR initiated a second round of layoffs that touched various departments, including team members dedicated to Project Sirius. This second wave was part of a larger corporate effort by CDPR to "streamline" its entire development pipeline and optimize operations across all active projects.
Despite these difficult staffing cuts, CDPR leadership has repeatedly assured fans and investors that Project Sirius is not in danger of cancellation. In quarterly financial earnings calls, executives have consistently pointed to Sirius as an active, vital part of their future release schedule. The fact that the game has survived two rounds of layoffs and a complete creative reset proves that CDPR believes there is a highly profitable, creatively valuable gem at the core of this project.
---Why is CD Projekt Red Sticking with Project Sirius?
In an industry where publishers are quick to cancel projects at the first sign of trouble, why has CDPR remained so fiercely committed to Project Sirius? There are several major reasons for this dedication:
1. Expanding Beyond Single-Player Gaming
While CDPR is incredibly successful at making single-player RPGs, these games take an enormous amount of time, money, and manpower to create. A single game like The Witcher 4 can take five to seven years to develop. By creating a smaller, highly replayable multiplayer game like Project Sirius, CDPR can establish a steady stream of engagement and revenue between the releases of their massive flagship RPGs.
2. Attracting a New Audience
Not everyone has the time to invest 100+ hours into a complex, dark fantasy RPG. Project Sirius is designed to be an entry point for a broader, more casual audience. With stylized visuals and cooperative gameplay, it offers a more accessible way for friends to explore the Witcher universe together without needing to master complex role-playing mechanics.
3. Capitalizing on the Witcher Brand
Thanks to the wildly successful games, the Netflix television shows, the anime spin-offs, and the original books, The Witcher is one of the most recognizable fantasy brands in the world today. CDPR owns the gaming rights to this goldmine, and they want to make sure they are utilizing it to its full potential. A cooperative multiplayer game is a natural evolution for the franchise.
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How Project Sirius Fits into the Wider Witcher Roadmap
To understand the timeline of Project Sirius, we have to look at how CD Projekt Red is organizing its workforce across its many active projects. The studio has shifted away from its old, proprietary REDengine and is now fully committed to using Epic Games' Unreal Engine 5. This shift is designed to make development faster, more stable, and more collaborative across all their studios.
Currently, the vast majority of CDPR’s developers are working on Project Polaris (the next mainline Witcher game). However, the team has structured their workflow so that the lessons learned on Polaris can help speed up the development of other projects, including Sirius and the Witcher Remake.
Here is how the current Witcher pipeline looks:
| Project Name | Developer | Primary Focus | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project Polaris | CDPR (Warsaw) | Next AAA Single-Player Trilogy | Pre-production / Production |
| Project Sirius | The Molasses Flood | Multiplayer & Single-Player Spin-off | Active Development |
| Canis Majoris | Fool's Theory | The Witcher 1 Remake (Open World) | Early Development |
The Industry Reality: What the Survival of Sirius Tells Us
The story of Project Sirius is a prime example of the intense pressures facing modern game development. The era of quick, cheap, and easy game design is long gone. Today, even a stylized spin-off requires millions of dollars, years of work, and absolute clarity of vision to succeed.
Over the last few years, we have seen high-profile multiplayer projects at other major studios get completely canceled late in development. For example, Naughty Dog famously canceled their standalone The Last of Us multiplayer game after years of work because they realized it would require too many resources to maintain.
The fact that CD Projekt Red chose to reboot Project Sirius and keep supporting The Molasses Flood, rather than canceling the game entirely, shows a rare level of patience and financial dedication. It demonstrates that the studio's leadership is willing to absorb short-term financial losses and negative press to ensure that the final game is actually fun, polished, and worthy of carrying The Witcher name.
---What Should Fans Expect?
So, what should fans of The Witcher expect from Project Sirius as we look to the future?
First and foremost, patience is key. Because the project was completely restarted in mid-2023, the development timeline was essentially pushed back to square one. While the game has been "in the works" for four years since its initial 2022 announcement, the version of the game we will eventually play has only been in active development for about half of that time.
We should expect a game that looks and feels different from the adventures of Geralt. It will likely feature a more stylized, artistic visual style, similar to the gorgeous aesthetics seen in The Molasses Flood's previous games. We can look forward to exploring the deep lore of the Witcher world with friends, taking on dangerous contracts, brewing potions, and uncovering new stories in a cooperative setting.
When the first official trailer or gameplay showcase for Project Sirius eventually drops, it will mark the end of one of the most challenging chapters in CD Projekt Red’s history—and the beginning of an exciting new era for Witcher fans everywhere.
---Conclusion: A Story of Pure Resilience
Project Sirius is a testament to the resilience of game developers. It has survived a complete creative reboot, millions of dollars in financial write-offs, major changes in corporate strategy, and two incredibly difficult rounds of layoffs. Through it all, the team at The Molasses Flood and CD Projekt Red has kept their heads down, focused on their work, and continued to build.
While the journey has been long and filled with unexpected obstacles, the dream of a cooperative, multiplayer Witcher adventure is still very much alive. As we wait for official updates, we can appreciate the passion, dedication, and sheer hard work that goes into keeping a project like Sirius shining bright in the gaming sky.
For more updates on the Witcher franchise and the latest news in game development, be sure to bookmark our blog and check back regularly!
from Kotaku
-via DynaSage
