CD Projekt Shares Slump After It Says ‘Witcher IV’ Won’t Come Out in 2026 

A bird flies in front of the CD Projekt logo at its headquarters in Warsaw, Poland January 21, 2020. Picture taken January 21, 2020. (Reuters) 
A bird flies in front of the CD Projekt logo at its headquarters in Warsaw, Poland January 21, 2020. Picture taken January 21, 2020. (Reuters) 
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CD Projekt Shares Slump After It Says ‘Witcher IV’ Won’t Come Out in 2026 

A bird flies in front of the CD Projekt logo at its headquarters in Warsaw, Poland January 21, 2020. Picture taken January 21, 2020. (Reuters) 
A bird flies in front of the CD Projekt logo at its headquarters in Warsaw, Poland January 21, 2020. Picture taken January 21, 2020. (Reuters) 

Shares of CD Projekt fell nearly 13% in early trading on Wednesday after the game developer said the premiere of "Witcher IV" was scheduled for after 2026, fueling fears of an even longer wait for the new instalment in the blockbuster series.

Analysts had previously said they expected the game to debut anywhere between 2026 and 2028.

"The Witcher IV", developed under code name Polaris, is the first instalment in a new trilogy expanding the universe of CD Projekt's blockbuster medieval fantasy franchise that has sold more than 75 million copies to date.

Finance chief Piotr Nielubowicz said the video game maker would not announce a precise launch date yet, but indicated the post-2026 timeframe "to give more visibility to investors".

The confirmation that the game will not be released before 2027 is "not a big surprise", analyst Grzegorz Balcerski from Trigon said in a note, adding the brokerage's previous forecast assumed a premiere in the second quarter of 2027.

Shifting expectations for the premiere beyond 2026 may also raise speculation that the game might debut even after 2027, considering postponements of new releases are common in the industry, Balcerski added.

"Lack of management confidence to commit to 2027 should also disappoint, even though we believe that the actuary assumptions used in the annual report suggest that this is currently the internal base case," JPMorgan analysts said in a note.

The stock was down 11% as of 0940 GMT, on track for its biggest one-day drop in two years and the worst performer on Europe's benchmark STOXX 600 index.

Up to Tuesday's close, it was up 20% since the beginning of 2025.

CD Projekt said in November that "Witcher IV" had entered full-scale production. The company's joint CEO Michal Nowakowski said at the time that it typically takes five to six years to develop a big ticket AAA game from the time early ideas are first discussed.

It had announced the works on the new "Witcher" saga back in March 2022.



Samsung Elec Appoints Mobile Chief as Interim Head of Consumer and Mobile Division

Roh Tae-moon, President and Head of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics speaks during his keynote address as Samsung Electronics unveils its latest flagship smartphones in San Francisco, California, US, February 1, 2023. (Reuters)
Roh Tae-moon, President and Head of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics speaks during his keynote address as Samsung Electronics unveils its latest flagship smartphones in San Francisco, California, US, February 1, 2023. (Reuters)
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Samsung Elec Appoints Mobile Chief as Interim Head of Consumer and Mobile Division

Roh Tae-moon, President and Head of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics speaks during his keynote address as Samsung Electronics unveils its latest flagship smartphones in San Francisco, California, US, February 1, 2023. (Reuters)
Roh Tae-moon, President and Head of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics speaks during his keynote address as Samsung Electronics unveils its latest flagship smartphones in San Francisco, California, US, February 1, 2023. (Reuters)

Samsung Electronics appointed on Tuesday its mobile chief Roh Tae-moon as acting head of the company's consumer and mobiles business, following the death of his predecessor, Han Jong-Hee, a week ago.

"Samsung Electronics plans to minimize the leadership vacuum in the DX Division through this executive reshuffle, and make every effort to strengthen global competitiveness and ensure thorough preparation for the future," Samsung said in a statement.

Roh, 56, has been in charge of the company's mobile business since 2020. Samsung said in March Roh has been "spearheading new smartphone markets" with AI phones and foldable phones as growth is slowing and competition is intensifying.

Roh will oversee the so-called DX division, which includes TVs, home appliances and smartphone businesses.

The death of Han, 63, who was in charge of its consumer electronics and mobile devices division, left newly-appointed boss Jun Young-hyun solely in charge of the South Korean tech giant as it revamps its underperforming chip business and navigates rising competition and trade uncertainties.

Samsung said the company's board of directors will decide on a new CEO later, and a spokesperson said that "nothing has been decided whether or not to keep the previous co-CEO structure at the moment."