Mark Noseworthy, former Vice President of the Destiny Universe at Bungie, didn't waste any time reacting to CD Projekt Red's big announcement. Days after the studio officially revealed The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt expansion Songs of the Past on May 27, Noseworthy took to Twitter to call the move a "great idea on a couple of levels."
That kind of unsolicited praise from a senior figure in the industry carries weight, and his reasoning is worth unpacking.
Songs of the Past revealed
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Why a Destiny veteran is talking about Geralt
Noseworthy's career at Bungie spanned roughly 15 years. He joined as an Engineering Producer on Halo: Reach in 2009, climbed through the ranks to General Manager of Destiny 2 by 2019, and reached Vice President of the Destiny Universe in November 2020. In July 2024, he was among the 220 developers let go during Bungie's mass layoffs, reportedly while working on a third-person Destiny spinoff called Payback before the project was cancelled.
He's not just a random voice. When someone with that resume publicly endorses a studio's strategy, the RPG community takes notice.
The generational audience argument
Here's the thing: Noseworthy's most compelling point wasn't about nostalgia. He highlighted that "half a generation" of players weren't old enough to play The Witcher 3 when it launched back in 2015. That's more than a decade of potential fans who either missed the original release entirely or were too young to engage with its mature content.
A new expansion in 2027 doesn't just serve longtime fans looking for more Geralt. It gives CD Projekt Red a genuine hook to pull a fresh wave of players into the Witcher universe right before The Witcher 4 arrives.
Songs of the Past is confirmed to co-develop alongside Fool's Theory, the smaller Polish studio formed by ex-CD Projekt Red developers. Their recent work on The Thaumaturge and the upcoming Witcher 1 Remake makes them a natural fit for this project.
Building a partner studio ahead of The Witcher 4
Noseworthy's second point was arguably the more strategic one. He noted that this expansion gives CD Projekt Red a partner developer that will have "had their reps" by the time The Witcher 4 enters full production. That partner is Fool's Theory, which is co-developing Songs of the Past with CD Projekt Red.
The logic is sound. A smaller studio working side by side with a major developer on a beloved franchise gets up to speed on tools, pipelines, and creative expectations. By the time Songs of the Past ships, Fool's Theory won't need onboarding for The Witcher 4. They'll already be embedded.
CD Projekt Red has also confirmed that Songs of the Past will serve as a narrative bridge between The Witcher 3 and The Witcher 4, with players returning to Geralt of Rivia one more time. Specific story details remain under wraps, but the connective tissue angle alone makes this expansion worth watching closely.
Geralt returns in 2027
What this means for players waiting on The Witcher 4
The key here is timing. Songs of the Past landing in 2027 positions CD Projekt Red to keep the Witcher brand active in the gaming conversation during what would otherwise be a quiet period between major releases. Noseworthy framed it as audience-building, and that framing holds up.
For players who want to get ahead of Songs of the Past, the Witcher 3 guides collection covers everything from builds to questlines worth revisiting before the expansion drops. And if you want a deeper look at what's confirmed for the expansion itself, the Songs of the Past release date guide has the latest details on what CD Projekt Red has revealed so far.
