CD Projekt Red's Sirius Layoffs
CD Projekt Red Lays Off 18 Staffers on Project Sirius Amid Development Strategy Shift
Key Points
In 2023, Sirius development was rebooted, and CD Projekt Red reportedly carried out a round of layoffs affecting 29 developers on the project.
The Molasses Flood, the original external studio behind Sirius, was fully absorbed into CD Projekt Red in April 2025, bringing Sirius development in-house.
The latest round of Sirius layoffs saw four staff in Boston and five in Warsaw let go, with nine others invited to internal recruitment for roles on other CDPR projects, reducing Sirius headcount from 83 to about 60.
CD Projekt has an ambitious plan to launch The Witcher 4, The Witcher 5 and The Witcher 6 within a six-year span, a timetable that could limit expansions for Witcher 4.
There is also a separate, mobile-focused Witcher multiplayer project reportedly in development, indicating multiple parallel efforts in the Witcher multiplayer space.
CD Projekt Red has cut nine workers from Project Sirius, the long-troubled multiplayer Witcher spin-off, and offered nine others internal transfers to different roles at the company, according to Dual Shockers. The move shrinks the Sirius team from roughly 83 people down to about 60, marking the second major layoff wave to hit the project.
The studio called it a "broader shift in development strategy," per Archy Netys. CD Projekt insists the cuts do not mean the project is cancelled. But for a game that has already been rebooted once, the news raises fresh questions about its future.
Where the Cuts Hit and Who Got Moved
Four of the nine laid-off staff worked in Boston. The other five were based in Warsaw, according to EGW News. The nine employees offered internal moves were invited to apply for open roles on other CD Projekt Red projects — not automatically reassigned.
Game Rant confirmed the total number affected sits at 18 people. That includes both those let go and those redirected internally. CD Projekt framed the transfers as a positive step, saying the changes align with the company's current project needs.
Project Sirius Has a Long History of Setbacks
CD Projekt first revealed Project Sirius in 2022. It was originally built by The Molasses Flood, an external studio. That studio was fully absorbed into CD Projekt Red in April 2025, bringing Sirius development fully in-house, per WN Hub.
In 2023, the project was rebooted entirely. That reset came with a separate round of layoffs that cut 29 developers. The latest nine dismissals are on top of that earlier wave. The project has now been rebooted and rescaled multiple times in just three years.
A Packed Slate Could Explain the Squeeze on Sirius
CD Projekt Red is juggling an enormous pipeline. The company plans to release The Witcher 4, The Witcher 5, and The Witcher 6 within a six-year window, according to Archy Netys. There is also Cyberpunk 2, a Witcher 1 remake, and a new IP in development at the same time.
That crowded schedule may be squeezing resources away from Sirius. The tight timeline could also limit the studio's ability to produce expansions for The Witcher 4. A separate, mobile-focused Witcher multiplayer game is also reportedly in development, showing the company is still pursuing multiplayer — just perhaps on a smaller scale.
CD Projekt Says Sirius Is Still Alive — For Now
The company has been careful with its words. CD Projekt has not called Sirius cancelled. It says the headcount drop reflects what the project needs right now, not a decision to shut it down, per EGW News.
Still, a team that has shrunk from 83 to 60 people, been rebooted once, and seen two rounds of layoffs in two years faces an uphill road. Whether Sirius survives CD Projekt's packed six-year push remains the biggest open question around the project.
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