Nearly six years after the launch controversy surrounding Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt RED says it has learned some valuable lessons, and it’s determined not to repeat the same mistakes.

Speaking during the recent Digital Dragons conference in Kraków, members of the studio’s writing team discussed what they learned from developing both The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077.

Their message was straightforward: the future looks promising because the studio has changed how it approaches development.

For many players, those comments immediately bring two projects to mind: The Witcher IV and the sequel currently known as Cyberpunk 2.

Both represent the next major chapter for CD Projekt RED, and both are being developed under a different production philosophy than the one that led to Cyberpunk 2077’s troubled launch in 2020.

The studio says it is spending more time on planning, pre-production, and project scoping before moving into full-scale development. Rather than rushing toward release targets, the focus appears to be on building stronger foundations and setting more realistic expectations internally.

That approach is already visible with The Witcher IV. The game spent an extended period in pre-production before entering full development and is being built using Unreal Engine 5. It will also mark a new era for the franchise by placing Ciri at the center of the story.

Meanwhile, Cyberpunk 2 has officially entered pre-production and continues to grow its development team. While details remain scarce, the studio has repeatedly emphasized that optimization, production planning, and long-term support are all areas receiving much greater attention this time around.

Fortunately for CD Projekt RED, actions tend to speak louder than conference presentations. The real test won’t be what the studio says today, but how these games look when they finally arrive. If the lessons truly have been learned, the next few years could be some of the most important in the company’s history.