In the last part of The Witcher’s original series, let’s explore the console’s fate and the hearts of those who participated in it.
Console version?
Michal Iwanicki, the programming engineer of CD Projekt (now Activision’s technical director), said that at the time of The Witcher, CD Projekt also wanted to make a console version for The Witcher. The problem was that the game team didn’t write any code for the console, so they decided to find an outside studio to help. After a period of searching, CD Projekt cooperated with WideScreen Games based in Lyon, France (now closed) with plans to create a game identical to the PC version, only changing the control system.
Putting the game on the console is a dream of CD Projekt.
To create a new control system for the console version, CD Projekt spent time testing different versions to convey ideas to its partners easily. The control and combat system changed a bit, added dodging, and modified a few minor elements while everything else was kept the same. CD Projekt sent Mr. Adam Badowski to Paris and worked there for about six months to create the first demo for The Witcher’s console, but things didn’t go as smoothly as they wanted. Mr. Adam said his partner worked “like a mercenary” and had no sympathy for the project, which made CD Projekt decide to terminate the cooperation.
“Both sides are at fault,” said one insider. The idea for the console version of CD Projekt is not very attractive, and the partner they choose is not the right choice. “It turned out that not everything CD Projekt touched turned into gold. Sometimes in business, you make unsuccessful choices, and that’s completely normal. ”
CD Projekt accepted the failure of The Witcher project for consoles.
“This experience taught me a lot about consistency and frankness because we could have continued the project and released something worth 7/10,” Mr. Adam said. “We decided to put it away for financial risk instead of making a quality game of our own. It was a difficult decision, and I remember how I was shaking when explaining to the partner that we decided to stop the project. ”
Post-story
After years of struggling with making games, CD Projekt’s fledgling team created their first game. But its meaning is not only limited to CD Projekt but also greater – one can see The Witcher as one of the most important games in Polish gaming history, although this role comes from the game’s symbolism rather than its content.
Within the CD Projekt, the success of The Witcher 1 tells the young guys of the studio that they can make games, and their products can be well received. It also opened the way to The Witcher 3, a game considered by most critics to be one of the best games in gaming industry history. On a larger scale, The Witcher makes Polish developers excited about making games for global release instead of just leaving the domestic market, and breaking the preconception of the game foreign players on Polish games.
The game has a high score on Metacritic.
But in addition to the positive effects, there are also negative effects often not mentioned. Mr. Maciej Miasik, production director of The Witcher, said that the game is an exciting project for all participants for various reasons. Still, they have made negative aspects (as you know in the last part of this series) that didn’t get the needed attention. “They are often hidden under fame and money, and CD Projekt is now a big company that needs to take care of its face. Therefore, unfortunately, those aspects are often not mentioned much, ” he said. “I don’t want to say that CD Projekt is the only one worthy of criticism because the whole game industry has a dark side, but CD Projekt is the face that represents both the success and the problems that this industry is having face to face.”
Adam Kozlowski, a CD Projekt veteran, agrees. “I often change jobs and have good memories of CD Projekt because it was my first project, my first years in the gaming industry. It’s great to be The Witcher and improve yourself. ” However, he also expressed that he did not want to return to the studio. “ I will never go back to them to be a part of the machine. I will feel like I have no role in influencing the project. Today (if I return), I will only draw assets for the game. I will feel that I can be easily replaced by anyone else in the world, ” he said.
Doug Cockle, the voice of Geralt of Rivia.
“I don’t know if I have the opportunity to thank everyone for what they did, especially in The Witcher,” said Doug Cockle, the voice actor for Geralt in The Witcher games and now is still cooperating with CD Projekt to share. “In the course of game development, we went through a lot of ups and downs, a lot of emotions, and many of them are no longer staying with the company. To those I have had the honor of working with, I would like to thank them for what they have done in The Witcher. ”
