Longtime CD Projekt animator Sebastian Kalemba has announced he will direct the studio’s new Witcher saga.
On Twitter, the developer wrote, “Career news: I’m directing the new Witcher Saga. Since joining @CDPROJEKTRED I believe nothing is impossible and raising the bar, telling emotional stories & creating worlds is what we’re here for. I’m proud to be part of CDPR and work with such a talented and passionate team.”
Career news: I’m directing the new Witcher Saga. Since joining @CDPROJEKTRED I believe nothing is impossible and raising the bar, telling emotional stories & creating worlds is what we’re here for. I’m proud to be part of CDPR and work with such a talented and passionate team.
— Sebastian Kalemba (@Skalemba) November 3, 2022
According to Kalemba’s LinkedIn, the developer has been with CD Projekt Red since 2014. From 2014 to 2016, he served as Lead Animator, responsible for the animation teams of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077. From 2016 until now, Kalemba has been the Head of Animation and Animation Director for CD Projekt Red, overseeing “all creative and managerial aspects of animations in the company”.
The first game in the new Witcher saga entered pre-production earlier this year. While details are sparse at the moment, many fans believe The Witcher 3’s Ciri could be the protagonist of the new game.
There’s one wrinkle in this story, in that CD Projekt already announced a different director for The Witcher 4. In March of this year, Gwent director Jason Slama shared that he was directing the next AAA Witcher game, promising no crunch during development.
Both Slama’s Twitter bio and LinkedIn page still list him as The Witcher Director for CD Projekt, but Slama hasn’t been active on either profile in some time. As of now, it’s unclear if Slama is still directing The Witcher 4 while Kalemba oversees the entire saga, or if Kalemba is taking over as director of the next AAA Witcher.
CD Projekt has been very busy announcing a ton of new projects over the last several weeks. Beyond the new planned Witcher trilogy, the company has also announced a remake of The Witcher in Unreal Engine 5, a multiplayer Witcher game in development at The Molasses Flood, a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, and the studio’s first original IP. To keep track of it all, bookmark our list of every CD Projekt game in development.
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.