CD Projekt to launch new expansion for 'The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt' (updated)
UPDATE 1-CD Projekt to launch new expansion for 'The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt' Adds share move and analyst comments in paragraphs 2-3, further details on the expansion and context in paragraphs 4, 6-9.
By Alicja Surdy
GDANSK, May 27 (Reuters) - Poland's largest video game developer CD Projekt CDR.WA will release a third story expansion for its flagship game "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" in 2027, it said on Wednesday, helping to bridge the gap before its next major title.
CD Projekt's shares, which were trading up before the announcement, reversed course to fall around 4% by 0948 GMT. Analyst Michał Wojciechowski from Ipopema Securities said the market had expected the expansion to be released in 2026.
The expansion's release date also poses a question on whether the launch of the widely anticipated fourth part of the Witcher game series could be pushed to 2028, instead of the 2027 release expected by the market, Wojciechowski said.
CD Projekt has not yet announced a release date for Witcher 4.
The new expansion pack, titled "Songs of the Past", will be available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S consoles and will feature series protagonist Geralt of Rivia, the company said.
It will be the third Witcher 3 expansion, after highly acclaimed "Hearts of Stone" and "Blood and Wine". It is co-developed with Fool's Theory, a studio that includes veterans who worked on the original Witcher 3.
More information on the expansion will be revealed in the summer, CD Projekt said.
First released in 2015, "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" has sold more than 60 million copies, making up the majority of the 85 million copies sold for the entire Witcher franchise, and won over 250 Game of the Year awards.
Aside from Witcher 4, CD Projekt is currently working on the second part of its Cyberpunk franchise and two other projects codenamed Sirius and Hadar.
(Reporting by Alicja Surdy and Rafal Nowak, additional reporting by Adrianna Ebert, editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak)