The Witcher 4 developer CD Projekt Red has hired longtime Blizzard veteran Russell Brower as its new audio director. The award-winning composer will reportedly contribute to the next two Charmer game a Cyberpunk 2077 continuation.
Brower is best known for his contributions to the audio of some of Blizzard's biggest games, including World of Warcraft, starcraft 2, Diablo 3, Overwatchand Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. He is also a three-time Emmy Award winner for his earlier television work in the 1990s. After leaving Blizzard in the summer of 2017, the veteran continued composing as a freelancer.
The Witcher 4, 5 and 6 are still aiming for an incredibly ambitious launch window
CDPR confirms that the second Witcher trilogy is still targeting an extremely ambitious release schedule, both for the studio and by industry standards.
Russell Brower joins CDPR as Sound Director
Eight and a half years later, Brower returned to the lead role of studio head when he joined CD Projekt Red as sound director. According to his LinkedIn profile, he started the role in January 2026. CDPR has not formally announced the hiring, in line with its typical practice of not disclosing individual appointments, even at the senior management level. However, based on recent job postings, Brower is likely contributing to both of the company's upcoming AAA projects: The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2077 continuation.
The Witcher 4 developer is putting together an All-Star team
Brower is far from the first industry veteran to join CDPR in recent months. In November 2025, The Witcher 4 hired developer Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 game designer Karel Kolmann, after him Baldur's Gate 3 a month later senior film artist Felix Pedulla. Both hired proposed The Witcher 4 will be their next project. Given this state of affairs, it would appear that CDPR is currently putting together an all-star team for the next one Charmer game.
Brower's resume is as impressive as they come
To date, Brower has amassed over 70 video game credits across over 35 projects, from Wolf pack (1993) to Tarisland (2024). During his 12-year tenure at Blizzard, the veteran composed vast orchestrations with strong thematic hooks and oversaw the complete sound direction of numerous titles.
Russell Brower Video Games
|
Year |
Game |
Credit |
|---|---|---|
|
1993 |
Wolf pack |
Sound effects |
|
1993 |
Ultrabots |
Sound |
|
1994 |
Armored Fist |
Sound effects |
|
1996 |
Disney's Activity Center: The Lion King |
Original music and sound design |
|
1996 |
F-22 Lightning 2 |
Sound effects |
|
1997 |
Disney's Ready For Math With Pooh |
Sound design and editing |
|
1997 |
Disney's Animated Storybook: 101 Dalmatians |
Sound research and design |
|
1997 |
Disney's Ready to Read with Pooh |
Sound design |
|
2002 |
Delta Force: Task Force Dagger |
Audio support |
|
2002 |
Delta Force: Urban Warfare |
Recording Engineer dialog |
|
2003 |
Delta Force: Black Hawk Down |
Mission Dialog, Original Music |
|
2004 |
Delta Force: Black Hawk Down – Team Saber |
Voice talent |
|
2004 |
Joint Operations: Typhoon Rise |
Musical performance |
|
2004 |
Joint Operations: Escalation |
Dialogue direction |
|
2007 |
World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade |
Audio director |
|
2008 |
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King |
Audio director |
|
2010 |
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm |
Audio director |
|
2010 |
StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty |
Composer |
|
2012 |
Diablo 3 |
Composer |
|
2013 |
StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm |
Audio director |
|
2014 |
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft |
Audio director |
|
2014 |
Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls |
Chief Sound Officer, Composer |
|
2014 |
World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor |
Senior Audio Director, Lead Composer |
|
2015 |
Heroes of the Storm |
Sound |
|
2015 |
StarCraft 2: Legacy of the Void |
Senior Audio Director |
|
2016 |
Overwatch |
Senior Audio Director |
|
2016 |
World of Warcraft: Legion |
Senior Audio Director, Lead Composer |
|
2016 |
StarCraft 2: Nova Covert Ops – Mission Pack 3 |
Senior Audio Director |
|
2017 |
StarCraft: Remastered |
Senior Audio Director |
|
2018 |
World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth |
Legacy Themes Composer |
|
2019 |
Arena of Valor: The Return of Volkath |
Composer |
|
2019 |
Dota 2: The International 2019 Music Pack |
Composer |
|
2024 |
Tarisland |
Composer |
The Witcher 4 is in active development as of November 2024. CDPR still hasn't committed to a specific release of its next game. However, the company has now twice announced its intention to release a second one Charmer trilogy in a span of six years, which confirms Witcher 5 and 6 would have to be developed significantly faster than the previous part.
Source: MobyGames, Limbasy / Reddit
