Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for a key plot point in The Witcher 3.
The Witcher 3 took some bold risks with Andrzej Sapkowski’s canon when it was released in 2015, even going so far as to kill off Vesemir, Geralt’s mentor and a prominent character from the books. It was a surprising move for the time, and it was even somewhat controversial within CD Projekt Red’s design team.
Looking back on the decision during a GDC 2023 panel titled “10 Key Quest Design Lessons From The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077,” CD Projekt Red quest director Pawel Sasko recalled the moment he concluded that he needed to kill off Geralt’s venerable mentor.
“I needed the moment for Ciri to actually make a decision that she’s not going to be hunted anymore…she’s going to be a hunter, she’s going to go after the Wild Hunt. But to do that I needed an actual event that would break her inside, and that was the moment when I proposed to our writer’s team that we kill Vesemir,” Sasko recalled.
The rest of The Witcher 3’s development was hesitant, not the least because of the role Vesemir plays in the books. Would players accept the death of such a high-profile character?
“At first, they weren’t sure we should be doing that. But in the discussions with Marcin Blacha, our story director, we reached the conclusion that it was actually a really good decision for Ciri to make that step,” Sasko said, pointing to the psychological impact that traumatic events can have.
What’s more, Vesemir was an ideal candidate based on the role he plays in The Witcher 3’s plot.
“[Vesemir] is built up really well and prepared, you get to know him…that’s why this moment was so impactful. I also wanted to do something that players wouldn’t believe we were doing. I wanted to surprise them… in a good way, I hope,” Sasko said.
‘There was a lot of concern’
Sasko’s recollections were part of a larger talk in which he shared some of CD Projekt Red’s key storytelling techniques in both Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3, including the need to withhold key information and for characters to be more than plot delivery devices. He also touched on the discussions that took place around some of the key quests in both games, including The Witcher 3’s famous Bloody Baron story, which was lauded for its fearless portrayal of domestic violence.
Sasko remembers the conversations around the botchling, a creature born from the improper burial of a stillborn child, which is a key plot point in the Bloody Baron storyline.
“There was a lot of concern. We have some young fathers in the company, and we pointed out that we’re maybe not comfortable with having a zombie child in the game,” he said. “When we talked, I told them that it’s about messy violence, it’s about a broken father…who’s trying to do his best, and actually trying to understand his shortcomings.”
I wanted to surprise them… in a good way, I hope.
In the end, Sasko said, the moment wasn’t about shock value, but “talking about something that wasn’t talked about” in the typically safe AAA video game space. He also noted that the quest was designed in 2012, which was in many ways a very different time for video games. Today, Sasko says, many more games are taking risks with challenging subject matter, particularly indie games.
“We really wanted to do it because we believed that artistic bravery is something we should be doing…that’s how I see it as a director in our company, and I know a lot of directors are with me on this. We had the purpose of doing something different, because when players come to us, they need to feel like they’re playing our game. And sometimes we do things no one else will do,” Sasko said.
The Witcher 3 recently received a major update for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC, prompting many players to return to the series for the first time in years. It coincided with the mini-renaissance enjoyed by Cyberpunk 2077, which saw it enjoy a major turnaround thanks to the release of Edgerunners and numerous updates.
CD Projekt Red developers have held several talks over the course of GDC, talking about level design strategies and other lessons throughout the conference. While The Witcher 3 brings Geralt’s story to a close, more Witcher games are expect over the next few years, though the Witcher game from Molasses Flood may be getting a rethink. In the meantime, here’s how a NSFW mod snuck into the Witcher 3 remaster.
Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
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