The Witcher 4 Devs Poach Third Warhorse Studios Veteran

CD Projekt RED has hired a third developer from Kingdom Come: Deliverance studio Warhorse, with Zbyněk Zelinka joining as senior game designer.

CD Projekt RED is clearly fans of Kingdom Come: Deliverance. The studio behind The Witcher 4 has just welcomed a third developer from Warhorse Studios, according to a report from PlayGround.ru.

The latest hire is Zbyněk Zelinka, who previously served as lead technical designer at Warhorse Studios. He's now taking on the role of senior game designer at CD Projekt RED. If you're keeping track, that's three Warhorse veterans making the jump to the new Witcher project.

For those wondering why this matters, Zelinka's background is all about technical design. That means he's been directly involved in implementing game mechanics and system interactions — the kind of behind-the-scenes work that makes combat, quests, and everything else actually function. And since The Witcher 4 is a brand-new entry in the series, how its gameplay systems come together is something fans have been curious about for a long time.

Zelinka isn't the first to make this move, either. Karel Kolman and Zdeněk Glatz both joined CD Projekt RED earlier. They also worked on Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 — Glatz handled writing, while Kolman focused on game design. So this isn't just a one-off hire; it's a pattern.

PlayGround.ru noted that Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has been praised for its deep mechanics, realistic world-building, and the freedom it gives players. The experience these developers gained from that project could be a real asset for the team building the next Witcher game. That's the outlet's take, though — not an official statement from CD Projekt RED.

Still, it's hard not to wonder what this means for The Witcher 4. With three Warhorse alums now on board, could we see some of that Kingdom Come DNA seep into the new Witcher? We'll just have to wait and see. What do you think — excited about this talent shakeup, or worried it might change the Witcher formula too much? Let us know in the comments!