A couple of days ago, CD Projekt Red; the makers of the Witcher game trilogy, marked the 10th anniversary of the franchise in one of the most spectacular ways I’ve ever seen a company do.As a huge fan of the Witcher series and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the third installation of the series being my all time favorite game, this neat little cinematic was almost touching to watch. To have your favorite characters break the fourth wall and address the fans directly is one hell of a treat and a unique way for the developers of the game to thank their fans for tagging along on an incredible adventure.
This, among many other things, is why I appreciate and have so much faith in CD Projekt Red as a games developer. Game companies and its publishers today, have a sad tendency to neglect their audience by implementing shrewd microtransactions and pay-to-win mechanics in their games in order to maximize profits. It seems CD Projekt Red have taken a stand against such types of cruel marketing practices and instead, they treat their customers as loyal fans and it seems to be working quite well for them. When The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt initially released, the developers followed up and released a new DLC for the game every week for the next 13 weeks, containing either cosmetics or new quests (contracts) and best of all — those DLCs were completely free.
While it can be argued that those DLC were simply cut elements from the game, CD Projekt Red still had every opportunity to put a price tag on said elements and they choose not to.
This little ramble might seem heavily biased in favor of CD Projekt Red, but it’s honestly so refreshing to have a company deliver incredible games at fair prices and treat their fans as loyal investors rather than milking them for every cent. Having released a fully animated cinematic with our favorite characters from the world of The Witcher, to commemorate 10 years of adventures, really emphasises how much CD Projekt Red cares for their fans and for the products they deliver. It is incredibly bittersweet to say goodbye to Geralt of Rivia, the white wolf himself. I am however really looking forward to seeing more from CD Projekt Red and their upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 projekt.
Maybe one day we will be reunited with The Witcher universe. Who knows – maybe Ciri might be the next to carry the torch.
[ss_quote cite=”CD Projekt Red” url=”https://youtu.be/zgqz8Je7P0s?t=109″]“Time is fleeting, but memories are forever.”[/ss_quote]