Update: CD Projekt Red has confirmed the below reported layoffs impacting the team working on the multiplayer Witcher spin-off, Project Sirius.
"We adjusted the size of the Sirius team to reflect the project's needs at this stage of development," a CD Projekt spokesperson tells IGN, confirming that four Boston-based workers and five Warsaw-based employees have left the company. Meanwhile, nine other CDPR employees have been offered the chance to apply for potential roles on other projects in development at the studio.
Original story:
Perhaps standing as one of the least historically healthy upcoming CD Projekt Red games, the mysterious multiplayer Project Sirius is reportedly suffering yet another round of layoffs.
Although we don't know too much about Project Sirius, we do know it's been in the works for a solid four years now under The Molasses Flood and CD Projekt Red… and its teams have already undergone a couple of significant layoff rounds, having taken quite a notable hit back in 2023, "mainly on The Molasses Flood's side."
Now, according to Kotaku, it's all happening yet again.
Apparently, nine developers – albeit unnamed (with no specific roles disclosed) were affected by these most recent layoffs, with Kotaku stating another nine are "in the process of moving to other projects within the studio, alongside a broader shift in development strategy."
It sounds a whole lot like the layoffs a few years back, which were attributed to a "restructure" of sorts as well. Regardless, if true, it's certainly not good news.
As of now, Project Sirius largely remains a mystery in its content. The devs behind it have reworked it a few times now, and CD Projekt Red itself lifted the veil on some sort of free-to-play multiplayer Witcher RPG a couple of months back – but the studio never really confirmed that it was describing Project Sirius.
It's likely that we'll hear more about it soon, though, considering Kotaku's report and its implications.
Here's hoping we end up seeing Project Sirius come to fruition one day – and, if developers have truly been affected by layoffs again, they're able to land on their feet.
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