The Witcher 4narrative director has admitted that the team is implementing a lot of good lessons learned fromThe Witcher 3to develop the anticipated new entry in the franchise. CD Projekt Red has a successful portfolio of games, but many would agree thatThe Witcher 3: Wild Huntis undoubtedly one of its best, and that’s precisely why the developer is drawing on everything it learned there to bringThe Witcher 4to life.
CD Projekt Red is continuing the saga withThe Witcher 4, this time bringing a story centered around Ciri instead of Geralt. The developer recently revealed a newtech demo ofThe Witcher 4, where fans could see some jaw-dropping Unreal Engine 5 graphics, showcasing landscapes and impressive world-building. However, in order to deliver such promising in-game visuals, the studio first had to learn several lessons in game development, most of which came fromThe Witcher 3—which is regarded by many as one of the best games of the century. Now, CD Projekt has provided more details on howThe Witcher 3helped the studio with the new entry in the franchise.
During aninterview with GamesRadar+,The Witcher 4narrative director Philipp Weber explained that, while the new game will bring innovative new elements to the table, the upcoming sequel builds upon many lessons learned fromthe successfulThe Witcher 3. He said that the team is well aware of what made that game so popular and “we have to really push that.” Weber also mentioned that the team knows what players want based on what they enjoyed from the previous game, and “we can’t break that. We have to do that.”
The Witcher 4 Takes Narrative Lessons from The Witcher 3
Weber highlighted the lessons learned fromThe Witcher 3’s narrative, emphasizing how the team is approachingThe Witcher 4’s story in exactly the same way. Moreover, the way CD Projekt is tackling quest development is also based on rules from the previous game, stating that even the new features are ultimately inspired by the same philosophy applied inThe Witcher 3.
In addition to the lessons learned from its own games,CD Projekt Red revealed it drew inspiration fromBaldur’s Gate 3forThe Witcher 4. The studio’s CEO said Larian’s massive RPG hit affected the upcomingWitcherentry, especially in terms of character interaction with the open world, though he also emphasized that the team is “sticking to what wasThe Witcher 3.” Unfortunately for fans,The Witcher 4won’t see the light of day until at least 2027, but considering the sources of inspiration the game is drawing from, it’ll almost certainly be worth the wait.
