CD Projekt RED Completes Project Hadar’s World Vision as Gameplay Prototyping Begins

CD Projekt RED has completed the multi-year effort to define Project Hadar’s world vision and has moved into early work on the game, including small prototypes and tests of gameplay elements.

Joint CEO Michał Nowakowski shared the update in an October 15 interview with PAP Biznes. He described establishing the world as a major undertaking that took several years. The studio now has a coherent vision for the setting and its key elements, allowing the team to begin working more directly on the game itself.

That milestone does not mean Hadar has reached pre-production. Nowakowski said the project remains earlier than that stage, with the team building small prototypes and experimenting with gameplay components. CD Projekt RED has not announced Hadar’s genre, setting, characters, platforms, release window or story.

Hadar is being planned as CD Projekt RED’s third major franchise

Project Hadar was announced in October 2022 as CD Projekt RED’s first fully original intellectual property, rather than a world adapted from an outside source. Our coverage of CD Projekt RED’s 2022 development slate included the first public mention of the new IP alongside its Witcher and Cyberpunk projects.

Although the game is still at an early stage, the company is already thinking beyond a single release. In a separate PAP Biznes interview, Nowakowski said CD Projekt RED is considering franchise-adjacent opportunities around Hadar and wants its universe eventually to join The Witcher and Cyberpunk as one of the company’s major properties.

The plan is to apply licensing and brand-building approaches similar to those CD Projekt RED has used for its established franchises. That strategy could give audiences ways to engage with Hadar beyond the game over time, but the company has not announced any specific tie-in project.

What do you hope CD Projekt RED prioritizes as it turns Project Hadar’s world vision into playable prototypes?