10 years on from its original release, The Witcher 3 still casts a shadow as enormous as its sprawling world.
At the time, it felt like an unbeatable, landmark achievement for the genre. Sure enough, though RPGs have flourished in the decade since, I don’t think anyone has yet matched its combination of rich and mature storytelling, expansive open world adventure, and lovable, nuanced characters.
Its release hit videogames like a meteor strike. The series had always been quietly successful and well-regarded, but with The Witcher 3, its popularity exploded, firmly lodging Geralt and friends in the global public consciousness.
A decade on, those characters are as recognisable as ever, and represented across TV shows, comics, game crossovers, board games, and more.
Celebrating the game’s birthday, then, doesn’t feel like looking back on an aging classic. It feels like reiterating a passion that’s never waned—and that only threatens to grow even more as we look ahead to the upcoming release of long-awaited sequel The Witcher 4.
And we’re not celebrating it alone. We’ve visted CD Projekt RED for a marathon series of interviews, talking to 14 different developers who worked on the game about their experiences, how it got made, what didn’t make it in, the impact it had on the studio, and even some hints as what we can expect from The Witcher 4. Watch out for more on that very soon.
We’ll be posting articles all this week, and collating them right here for your reading pleasure. So without further ado, scroll on and enjoy.
A video tribute
Why we’re still playing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 10 years later
Midas explores what makes the game irresistible to revisit in this deep dive video, as part of our new Why We Play series.
Making the hard decisions
Remembering The Witcher 3’s toughest choices (and the objectively correct answers)
Featuring some of the most brutal decision points in gaming, The Witcher 3’s story puts you through the philosophical wringer. Luckily, Wes has figured out what all the morally correct choices are.
Our favourite characters
The best Witcher 3 characters
First published back in 2019, our ranking of the best heroes, scoundrels, and weirdos in The Witcher 3 remains objectively true today.
Our original review
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt review
Shaun’s original review still encapsulates what we love so much about this landmark RPG.
The pain of pitching
“You guys are not Bethesda”: During development, The Witcher 3 devs were told by a Walmart rep “I like you guys, but it’s just not gonna happen”
It’s easy now to imagine that the game was always going to be a smash success, but the truth is that back in 2015, CD Projekt RED still had a lot to prove. Including, apparently, to Walmart.
Read the full article here
