The Witcher 3 designers depart for indie studio

Marek Ziemak and Maciej Szczesnik, key members of the team behind The Witcher 3, have left CD Projekt Red.

Szczesnik revealed that the duo has joint Warsaw-based indie mobile dev 11 Bit Studios, where he will lead the development of a new game, according to Polygon.

Ziemak worked as gameplay producer at CD Projekt Red, while Szczesnik served as gameplay designer. They have both been instrumental in the development of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, one of the most anticipated games of the new console generation.

In a statement, Szczesnik said: "I’ll be responsible for the entire design of a game that took shape in my imagination. It’s a really exciting feeling to create a new world from scratch, make its characters and rules, and to know that I have this blank page to fill with my ideas and then bring them to life."

This is no doubt a reference to the fact that The Witcher games are based on the published works of Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. 11 Bit Studios is expected to make an announcement in March, perhaps unveiling Szczesnik’s new IP.

Ziemak, meanwhile, said he has been "watching the indie game scene for quite some time" and was attracted by its "creativity and freshness".

11 Bit Studios is best known for its mobile games Anomaly 2 and Sleepwalker’s Journey.