CD Projekt Red appears to be ramping up its development capabilities in a big way as it prepares for Cyberpunk 2077’s sequel, codenamed Orion, as it looks to create a new studio and put hundreds of staff on the project.Speaking during an investors’ call after announcing Orion alongside several Witcher games, CD Projekt Red CFO Piotr Nielubowicz said he expects 350 to 500 developers will be necessary to create the game.It’s also creating a brand new, primarily Boston-based studio for Orion, which will combine with its current Vancouver office and be known as CD Projekt Red North America.Though talent from its Polish studios will also be assisting with the game (including Cyberpunk 2077’s lead quest designer Paweł Sasko, who is moving to Boston for it), the Vancouver studio only had around 12 team members when it was acquired by CD Projekt Red last year. It therefore appears the company needs to hire a few hundred new staff to hit the 350 to 500 quota, and it’s already advertising dozens of positions on its website.”The North American studio will consist of teams working from Boston and the team working from Vancouver,” Nielubowicz said, and “the project will also be supported by developers from Poland.”He continued: “As for the total headcount required for such a production, I believe the best reference is Cyberpunk 2077, our most recent release and a good reference point when thinking about development headcount and future projects of this scale. I think it’s safe to assume that between 350 and 500 developers should be required.”Every CD Projekt Red ReviewGiven that development hasn’t begun yet, CD Projekt Red didn’t say too much about Orion, but promised it’ll be “the next Cyberpunk game that will fully unleash the potential that this universe offers”.The studio certainly has a busy few years on its hands, as a new Witcher trilogy was announced alongside a Witcher universe game from CD Projekt Red’s The Molasses Flood and another “full-fledged” Witcher title from a mysterious third party studio.The studio is still working on Cyberpunk 2077’s long awaited first expansion, Phantom Liberty, in the meantime. It’s expected to be released next year, while the next Witcher game could still be years away.Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
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