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 both the next Witcher game and the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel.
Brower is best known for his contributions to the sound of some of Blizzard’s biggest-ever games, including World of Warcraft, Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, Overwatch, and Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. He is also a three-time Emmy Award winner for earlier television work in the 1990s. After leaving Blizzard in summer 2017, the industry veteran continued composing on a freelance basis.
Witcher 4, 5 and 6 Still Targeting Incredibly Ambitious Launch Window
CDPR confirms that the second Witcher trilogy is still targeting an exceptionally ambitious launch schedule, both for the studio and industry norms.
Russell Brower Joins CDPR as Audio Director
Eight and a half years later, Brower has returned to a major studio leadership role, having joined CD Projekt Red as an Audio Director. He began the role in January 2026, according to his LinkedIn profile. CDPR did not formally announce the hiring, in line with its typical practice of not publicizing individual appointments, even at the senior leadership level. However, based on recent job listings, Brower is likely contributing to both of the company’s upcoming AAA projects: The Witcher 4 and the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel.
The Witcher 4 Developer Is Assembling an All-Star Team
Brower is far from the first industry veteran to join CDPR in recent months. In November 2025, the Witcher 4 developer hired Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 game designer Karel Kolmann, followed by Baldur’s Gate 3 senior cinematic artist Felix Pedulla a month later. Both hires suggested The Witcher 4 would be their next project. Given that state of affairs, it would appear that CDPR is currently assembling an all-star team for the next Witcher game.
Brower’s Resume Is As Impressive as They Come
To date, Brower has accumulated over 70 video game credits across more than 35 projects, ranging from Wolf Pack (1993) to Tarisland (2024). During his 12-year tenure at Blizzard, the industry veteran composed large-scale orchestrations with strong thematic hooks and oversaw end-to-end audio direction on numerous titles.
Russell Brower’s Video Game Credits
|
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 |
Dialog Recording Engineer |
|
2003 |
Delta Force: Black Hawk Down |
Mission Dialog, Original Music |
|
2004 |
Delta Force: Black Hawk Down – Team Sabre |
Voice Talent |
|
2004 |
Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising |
Music Performance |
|
2004 |
Joint Operations: Escalation |
Dialog Direction |
|
2007 |
World of Warcraft: The 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 |
Senior Audio Director, 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 has been in active development since November 2024. CDPR is still not committing to a concrete release window for its next game. However, the company has twice now stated its intention to release the second Witcher trilogy over a six-year span, confirming that The Witcher 5 and 6 would need to be developed significantly faster than the previous installment.
Source: MobyGames, Lymbasy / Reddit
