Development of the Witcher co-op game may have been rebooted

The management board of CD PROJEKT may have revealed in a new report that the upcoming Witcher co-op title codenamed "Project Sirius" has been rebooted.

The details:

• In a recent report, the management board of the Polish developer and publisher CD PROJEKT confirmed that it was taking an impairment charge on Project Sirius, its planned multiplayer Witcher game. The decision was made based on an "evaluation of the scope and commercial potential of the original concept of Project Sirius," and came after the project had reportedly cost the company around $10 million in expenses, which it claims will "burden the company's financial results.”
• According to the company, the studio is now working on "forming a new framework" for the project, implying that The Molasses Flood is looking for a new approach in the future. It's unclear how different the new version of the game will be from the original vision, as very little information has been revealed so far, but we do know that the game was supposed to feature co-op PvE gameplay with a class system, a non-linear story, and likely some form of procedural generation based on various job listings.
• Project Sirius is one of several projects announced by CD PROJEKT, including an open-world remake of The Witcher, a Cyberpunk release codenamed Project Orion, another mainline Witcher game, and a brand new IP. We may see some delays or changes as development progresses, especially since the company was embroiled in a now-resolved lawsuit over the shoddy launch of its previous AAA release, Cyberpunk 2077, which investors claimed caused significant damage to the value of their shares.

What else is going on at CD PROJEKT?

• CD PROJEKT RED, the company's main development studio, announced the launch of a new playtesting program for future releases. The majority of the playtests will take place in the main Warsaw studio, though tests will also be held in the company's Vancouver and Boston studios, as well as in other locations in the future. It's worth noting that the program is entirely voluntary, though, and the company will not reimburse travel expenses.
• Phantom Liberty, the first and only DLC for Cyberpunk 2077, will reportedly have the highest budget of any expansion from CD PROJEKT RED. Unsurprisingly, the budget has reached new heights as it's confirmed that Keanu Reeves will be returning as Johnny Silverhand, with Idris Elba joining the cast as FIA agent Solomon Reed.