The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt became not only one of the best games ever after its release in May 2015. The development of CD Projekt Red it also glossed over a cult franchise and brought recognition to a Polish cultural treasure: the book series by Andrzej Sapkowski. A spin off was even conceived in the form of a game as a service: Gwent. Not counting, of course, the hit Netflix series starring henry cavill. From which a universe of its own has been built.
Thanks to an original agreement with the author (with criticism and legal recourse by Sapkowski considering it unfair years after signing it), CD Projekt has the possibility of exploiting the franchise uninterruptedly. The critical failure of cyberpunk 2077, the most recent game from the studio, was combined with the wide scope that production has had in the hands of Netflix. The expectations of a new game gave rise, in recent years, to rumors about what was to come for Geralt of Rivia and its universe in gaming.
On March 21, CD Projekt Red finally confirmed that we would have a new game inspired by this intellectual property. However, it would not be The Witcher 4. It would be a completely new saga, without giving more details than a teaser around the medallion apparently belonging to the Lynx School. In addition, the development would be Unreal Engine 5 backed by Epic Gameswithout this meaning that its sale would be exclusive to the store of said developer.
Jason Slama, who once directed Gwent, will be responsible for directing the destinations of the project. Other than that, we don’t know much about it. Even the details that have been revealed give rise to confusion or expectations that could be broken or come crashing down, especially for those who came to the saga in the last game or through the television series. That is why we talked with someone very steeped in the path of the sorcerer.
The Witch to the rescue
Among the fans who congregate on social networks to discuss the current situation of The Witcher saga, he is known as Sardine in a canalluding to the Spanish name of roach, Geralt’s steed. His Twitter account @TheWitcherSardi, is a reference for those who humorously seek to know in depth the universe created by Sapkowski. He is also a regular participant in the conversations carried out by the specialized YouTube channel The continent. We went to her, then, to discuss what we can expect in this next title.
Sardinilla tells us (yes, the expression is a bit strange) that for her the situation of CD Project after Cyberpunk 2077 it was necessary to build a new game of The Witcher. What she did not expect, however, is that it would be a complete saga and not just a title. Although, of course, she admits that it will be a bit difficult not to see the Blaviken Butcher as the main playable character in these future adventures.
“Geralt’s arc closed quite satisfactorily in The Witcher 3 and it’s time to see new faces,” the person behind this peculiar account tells us. “The Witcher is, after all, so much more than Geralt, and you can do a great job telling stories without the White Wolf.”
In a world where social networks have constant controversies, controversies are quickly forgotten. For this reason, for Sardinilla it is very unlikely that future The Witcher games will be affected by the controversies in which Cyberpunk 2077 has been involved. Rather it is a golden opportunity for the studio to show that they have learned from their mistakes.through this new saga and a new project around the franchise.
“We are still years away from having the first game in the new Witcher saga. In the meantime, CD Projekt will continue to work on Cyberpunk 2077 to try to fix the whole mess of its launch and compensate users. We’re also going to have a new Witcher card game later this year, for which only the code name is known for now. Project Golden NekkerSardi told us. “If they do things right and create masterpieces like The Witcher 3, people will buy their games.”
The various faces of the Witch
The Witcher has become a franchise that goes far beyond the medium in which it originated and gained fame. It’s not just books and a series of video games. In recent years, we have seen Western-style comics, manga, a TV series, and an animated movie. Naturally, a new saga in gaming can make fans come from various platforms. For Sardi, the brand of The Witcher and its impact as one of the fantasy sagas that has reached the most media gives the project the potential to reach broader audiences.
“You may not like an adaptation to a certain medium, but you will always have the original material from the books. You may not like the books, but the games or the series do”, Sardinilla tells us. “Even for people who don’t know anything about The Witcher, the new video game saga could be a perfect opportunity to get to know this universe. As long as the product is of quality, I think the fans will be happy”.
The medallion in the announcement image for the next title generated a debate. However, the developers confirmed that it was the figure of a lynx. This has connections to a very peculiar school of witches, but which has its roots in fan fiction and not canon material as of yet. Neither the games nor the novels. It’s about stuff created by users Witcher190 and SMiki55 on The Witcher Fanon Wiki.
“What they propose is interesting because it would be a new School founded by Lambert, Keira Metz and members of the Cat School after the events of The Witcher 3. The Lynx School would have in its ranks warlocks, witches, wizards and sorceresses, and their combat style would be very similar to that of the Cat School with light armor and focused on speed, precision and agility”, Sardi tells us, adding that naturally it is very difficult for this story to reach the game as it is. “They would even go so far as to create the first versions of firearms for their monster-fighting team.”
An old world, a new story
Upcoming stories of The Witcher, in games as diverse as television and tabletop games, are meant to tell the past of this universe. Blood Origin, Netflix project in development, it is temporarily located 1,200 years before the adventure that we know of Geralt. Meanwhile the game The Witcher Old World It also has the premise of showing a past world. Thus, a large part of the expectations are based on showing just this reality prior to the almost total extinction of sorcerers.
“One of the theories that fans contemplate is that the new saga is a prequel to Geralt’s adventures and is set in the golden age of sorcerers, where we could create our character and choose School as in said board game”, Sardinilla tells us. “They could also use some of the monster designs from the game The Witcher Monster Slayersince it has a quite interesting expansion of the bestiary”.
Sapkowski created in his stories a world with varied regions, inspired by the folklore and history of the Slavic peoples and Northern Europe. But he did not detail a geography, which was adequately developed by CD Projekt. They have also expanded the bestiary with respect to what was known from the books, providing it with incredible specimens and even have been a reference when talking about cryptozoology. For the same reason, something that is expected is that these bases are respected for the coming project.
the blood of the elves
One of the expectations that were considered for an upcoming The Witcher game was to have Ciri as the lead, a situation that apparently will have no place with what is known about the game. However, for a fan like Sardinilla, the character clearly deserves to have her own title. Although for this it would be necessary to take complex risks, although that does not mean that she is very loved and has enormous potential.
“The powers he possesses are a double-edged sword because the Continent could be too small for him. CD Projekt would have to venture to create new lore and even new worlds and would run the risk of straying too far from what The Witcher is. Also, if the saga takes place after the events of The Witcher 3, they would have to confirm one of the three possible endings as canon, which would be contradictory for the players who obtained a different destiny for Ciri, ”says the content creator.
Finally, this upcoming game may settle a score with some of the community: female representation. More than a matter of political correctness, it is about working on issues that reached absurd points. From the changes in characters to make them more attractive to, as Sardi comments in an interview, a hypersexualization. While Geralt had full and varied armor, for example, Ciri fought in a shirt and heeled boots. Although it would not be the only point to improve.
“Of course, another point would be the combat system, which I don’t dislike at all, but I understand that it can be not very fluid and repetitive compared to other games in the genre. In this aspect, I do expect a significant improvement or a completely different approach that makes the new saga of The Witcher just as enjoyable, both in terms of narrative and gameplay, “concluded Sardinilla.
There is a long way to go to discover what CD Projekt Red has in mind. Let us remember that, in fact, between the announcement of Cyberpunk 2077 and its release passed more than 8 years. However, the quality and cult status that The Witcher franchise has left behind in gaming has fueled fan expectations. Also the success of the adaptations that the material has had in other media. For the same reason, what is to come will be closely followed for Geralt’s legacy in the future.