The dream of a multiplayer Witcher keeps slipping further out of reach. Project Sirius, the ambitious online-flavored take on Geralt’s world, has been hit by yet another round of layoffs — the second such cull to strike the team — casting fresh doubt over whether the game will ever see the light of day.
For those keeping score, Sirius was announced back in 2022 as one of several projects meant to expand CD Projekt Red’s slate beyond its flagship single-player RPGs. Four years on, the reality looks a good deal grimmer than the pitch. Instead of trailers and gameplay reveals, the headlines have been about staff reductions, and the latest wave landed today, August 12, 2026.
Two rounds of layoffs on a single project is rarely a sign of smooth sailing. It usually points to one of a few uncomfortable scenarios: a shifting scope, a change in direction, or a studio quietly reassessing whether the whole thing is worth the burn rate. None of those are good news for the developers whose jobs are on the line, nor for fans hoping to team up and go monster-hunting with friends.
What makes Sirius particularly interesting — and particularly fraught — is its multiplayer ambition. CD Projekt Red built its reputation on meticulously crafted, story-driven solo experiences. Pivoting that DNA toward a shared, online-oriented Witcher was always going to be a tall order, and the road here has clearly been bumpier than anyone hoped.
It’s worth being clear about what we actually know versus what we don’t. There’s no confirmation that the project has been cancelled outright. Layoffs, painful as they are, don’t automatically equal a shutdown — studios restructure teams for all sorts of reasons, sometimes to refocus a project rather than kill it. But when a game that was announced years ago still has nothing concrete to show and keeps shedding staff, cautious optimism starts to feel like wishful thinking.
For the wider Witcher faithful, none of this touches the mainline saga most people care about. The next big single-player Witcher remains CD Projekt Red’s headline act, and Sirius was always the more experimental sibling. Still, the repeated turbulence is a reminder that even a studio with a stellar pedigree can struggle when it steps outside its comfort zone.
Right now, the honest verdict is that Project Sirius is in trouble. Whether that means a reboot, a quiet burial, or an unexpected comeback is anyone’s guess. Until CD Projekt Red says otherwise, fans hoping to explore the Continent in the company of friends will have to keep waiting — and hoping the project survives long enough to deliver.
