A few veterans of the Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher franchise have left CD Projekt Red to form a new studio called Blank, and revealed their new venture on Wednesday. Their announcement came shortly after their former employer had to debunk another rumor claiming it had been acquired by Sony.
With over 1,000 employees globally as of 2023, CDPR is as prone to losing talent as most other large developers. While some of its former employees have moved to other established studios over the years, it’s not unusual to see its former employees start their own companies. Just last year, a group of ex-CDPR developers announced they were making an online ninja game as part of such an adventure.
Blank studio, a 20-minute drive from CD Projekt Red’s Warsaw offices, is the latest example of this trend. The company officially opened in May, with three of the four founders being CDPR veterans. Of its seven employees, all but one other member lists The Witcher 3 developer as one of their former employers. That’s not to say the studio’s first game — or any follow-up project, for that matter — will seek to compete with CDPR’s title, though. Instead, Blank’s official website says its team has had enough of playing large open-world games, and says the studio will focus on “simpler goals” by delivering games that highlight emotional stories and “uniqueness.”
Blank elaborated on the pitch, swearing on LinkedIn that it will deliver “the most polished and polished” narrative-driven game yet. Its first attempt at doing so will be a character-focused game set in an apocalyptic world with “a twist or two.” The first concept art for the game doesn’t reveal much, depicting a high-spirited woman driving through the countryside in what appears to be some bizarre cataclysmic event. A tattoo of the number 41 can be seen on her right arm, and an “I’ll be back” message that appears to break the fourth wall can be seen on the driver’s visor.
It may be a while before Blank is ready to share any other information about its first game, as the studio is still in the process of assembling a full production team. The positions it’s currently looking for are all senior-level, including openings for technical directors, environment artists, and 3D animators.
Regardless of the outcome of this venture, there’s no denying that most of Blank’s staff have created a sizable legacy at CD Projekt Red. That was on display most recently earlier this week, when The Witcher 3 hit another impressive sales milestone eight years after its release.