January 2028 is when Sony pulls the plug on physical PlayStation discs. CD Projekt Red is targeting 2028 for The Witcher 4. The collision course is hard to miss.
According to joint-CEO Michał Nowakowski, the studio’s response is that a box is coming either way. There may be no disc sitting inside it. But there will be a box.
The part CD Projekt Red can’t control
Nowakowski did not sugarcoat the limits of the studio’s reach. First-party discs are pressed in first-party factories, and goodwill from a Polish developer does nothing to change that arrangement.
“We don’t know what’s going to be the case,” he said. “We know what PlayStation has announced. And we have no influence on the policies of the first parties. The discs for the first parties, including PlayStation, have to be manufactured in their own factories. So, if they stop manufacturing indeed by 2028, then yes [we won’t have a disc].”
July was when Sony made the plan public. The reaction from retailers and the broader industry has been anything but quiet.
Why this one stings more than most
For many publishers, a physical edition means a jewel case and a folded sheet of paper. That has never been CD Projekt Red’s approach.
Ship a standard edition of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt or Cyberpunk 2077 and you got stickers, a map, a letter from the developers, postcards and more besides. Standard editions, mind you — not the $200 tier that comes with a statue.
That is the tradition now at risk, and for collectors who have filled shelves over the course of decades, having it end on a game of this stature is a bitter finish.
“We’re nerds ourselves”
Rather than simply accepting the loss, the studio is building plans around it.
“But we’re big fans of people having access to tangible collectible things,” Nowakowski added. “We’re nerds ourselves, and we like that. We always supported that. So, whatever is the case, we’re going to be for sure having a box. We’re going to have a box that’s going to have some feelies in it. Something you’re going to be wanting to open up and enjoy. But we have no influence actually on what’s the case here.”
Feelies is an old term, and reaching for it says plenty about the kind of people making this decision.
What’s still unknown
No release date has been set for The Witcher 4. The Ciri-led sequel to Witcher 3 remains in development while the studio continues revisiting its 2015 hit through an official remaster and the Songs of the Past expansion.
As for the contents of the box, nobody is saying yet. Stickers, a map, a letter. The sort of thing you open on the couch before the game has even booted.