History of The Witcher (1986 - 2021) | Documentary

00:00:00.320this video is brought to you in part by

00:00:02.040gog.com

00:00:03.760welcome back everybody i'm nick930 and

00:00:05.920today i want to share with you the

00:00:07.279complete history of the witcher

00:00:18.780[Music]

00:00:23.870[Applause]

00:00:39.600the witcher is a third-person fantasy

00:00:41.760role-playing video game series

00:00:43.360developed by cd projekt red and based

00:00:45.360strongly off the writings of fantasy

00:00:47.039writer

00:00:47.520andre sapkowski in each game

00:00:50.640players assume the role of monster

00:00:52.239hunter geralt orivia

00:00:53.760whose mutated genome grants him the

00:00:55.520unnatural abilities and skills to deal

00:00:57.360with the world's most dangerous monsters

00:01:02.800the game series is best known for its

00:01:04.720incredibly immersive fantasy experience

00:01:07.119with a complex web of narrative plot

00:01:09.280threads and groundbreaking visual

00:01:10.960effects

00:01:11.680and it's amassed a huge fan base over

00:01:13.760the course of the past decade

00:01:15.360along with a significant evolution of

00:01:17.280both its graphics and its gameplay

00:01:19.040mechanics

00:01:19.759since its initial 2007 debut with the

00:01:22.400most recent entry being praised for

00:01:24.320revolutionizing the single player rpg

00:01:26.960while simultaneously transforming the

00:01:28.960largely unknown polish studio

00:01:30.640into a tour de force across the industry

00:01:32.720worldwide

00:01:33.840so how exactly did this series become

00:01:36.240such a dominant force in the gaming

00:01:37.920medium

00:01:38.799and what about it is so special well

00:01:41.920to answer that properly we need to first

00:01:44.000understand what inspired its original

00:01:45.759creator

00:01:46.320back in the 1980s

00:01:52.399in 1986 38 year old polish writer

00:01:55.600andre sapkowski submitted a fictional

00:01:57.920short story for a writing competition in

00:01:59.759a fantasy magazine

00:02:01.200the submission titled viejmin or the

00:02:03.920witcher

00:02:04.560told the story of a brooding mercenary

00:02:06.399named geralt who visits the kingdom of

00:02:08.479ezeima and is contracted to slay a

00:02:10.399deadly creature called estriga

00:02:12.480despite its potential the story only

00:02:14.560managed to earn the third place prize

00:02:16.720but this didn't dissuade its author from

00:02:18.720writing more

00:02:19.920heavily influenced by the work of

00:02:21.200tolkien and many other well-known 20th

00:02:23.280century fantasy writers

00:02:24.720sapkowski continued to expand upon the

00:02:26.560world he had created

00:02:27.840introducing new reoccurring characters

00:02:30.160more nuance

00:02:31.200and effectively establishing something

00:02:33.120very unique

00:02:34.640the themes he explored in his writing

00:02:36.160didn't necessarily revolve around

00:02:37.760traditional fantasy tropes like good

00:02:39.680versus evil

00:02:40.800but instead established a more grey area

00:02:44.080challenging readers with more realistic

00:02:45.760situations and often

00:02:47.280unsettling outcomes these novels

00:02:50.080continue to release all throughout the

00:02:51.59990s

00:02:52.400with the final entry to the witcher saga

00:02:54.319releasing in poland in 1999

00:02:56.800laying the groundwork for future

00:02:58.400interpretations

00:03:00.319by now the series had become a

00:03:01.840phenomenon throughout poland it was an

00:03:04.400absolutely massive success

00:03:06.319as its thematic elements resonated well

00:03:08.480with polish society

00:03:10.239and with the video game medium similarly

00:03:12.560growing more popular around the world

00:03:14.400it was only a matter of time before job

00:03:16.319postings appeared for a witcher video

00:03:18.159game adaptation

00:03:19.599the first attempt to create a witcher

00:03:21.040video game was not actually cd projekt

00:03:23.360red

00:03:24.239it was in fact from a very small company

00:03:26.480called metropolis software house

00:03:28.400who had planned an ambitious action rpg

00:03:30.640interpretation of the game

00:03:32.080intended for sony's original playstation

00:03:34.159console

00:03:35.519this game was eventually cancelled but

00:03:37.920had it actually come to fruition it

00:03:39.599would have featured a similar design to

00:03:41.200capcom's resident evil games

00:03:43.040with lots of static backgrounds and 3d

00:03:45.360polygonal character models running in

00:03:47.040and out of the screen

00:03:48.879when faced with a threat the game would

00:03:50.720then switch to an alternate combat mode

00:03:52.959with a sort of early take on quick time

00:03:54.959events to determine a player's success

00:03:56.640when striking or blocking attacks

00:03:59.040this inevitably proved to be too

00:04:00.720ambitious for the understaffed studio at

00:04:02.400metropolis

00:04:03.360and the project was canned soon after

00:04:05.519leaving the license to the witcher ip

00:04:07.599available for anyone willing to purchase

00:04:12.840it

00:04:14.720meanwhile over in warsaw two young high

00:04:17.199school students

00:04:18.160marcin owinski and michael kaczynski

00:04:20.880sought to break into the booming polish

00:04:22.560market of the 1990s

00:04:24.880for those of you that don't know

00:04:26.160poland's economy had been largely

00:04:27.680restricted due to the soviet union's

00:04:29.280control post world war ii

00:04:31.520this greatly limited trade with western

00:04:33.440powers and kept things like movies and

00:04:35.600video games from being traded with the

00:04:37.199country

00:04:38.240this stunt in their economic growth

00:04:39.919eventually resulted in the formation of

00:04:41.680the independent trade union called

00:04:43.360solidarity in the early 1980s and in

00:04:45.9191989

00:04:46.960poland finally was able to transition to

00:04:48.960liberal capitalism

00:04:50.400opening new channels of trade with

00:04:51.759western countries that were previously

00:04:53.280restricted

00:04:54.800both martin and mccall who were big fans

00:04:57.199of the emerging video game medium

00:04:58.720decided to take advantage of this new

00:05:00.160opportunity

00:05:00.960and began to import western video games

00:05:02.880in bulk and sold them at the warsaw

00:05:04.800computer bazaar on grizzoboska street

00:05:07.600it seemed like the easiest way to play

00:05:09.360the latest game sooner

00:05:11.039but it's soon dawned on the pair that

00:05:12.560this business could make them quite a

00:05:14.240bit of money too

00:05:16.000by the mid 90s the duo began to expand

00:05:18.720establishing the company name

00:05:20.160cd project group as a reference to the

00:05:22.400cd-roms that they were flipping

00:05:24.639the business performed extremely well

00:05:26.479with a steady line of customers every

00:05:28.240day eager to play the newest western

00:05:29.919video games

00:05:31.280but one issue continued to persist the

00:05:34.080games were not localized

00:05:35.680many couldn't even read the packaging cd

00:05:38.800project

00:05:39.280aware of this disconnect then entered a

00:05:41.520new phase of their business

00:05:42.960and began to offer polish versions of

00:05:44.800western boxstarting game manuals

00:05:47.039and even hired polish actors to dub over

00:05:49.039the english voice acting

00:05:55.919by the end of the 90s cd projekt

00:05:57.840maintained a reliable stream of revenue

00:05:59.919along with some solid connections in the

00:06:01.440industry overseas most notably

00:06:03.759interplay entertainment and bioware in

00:06:06.4791999 they were offered their first

00:06:08.720official localization project baldur's

00:06:10.800gate that went on to sell well over a

00:06:13.039hundred thousand copies

00:06:14.800far more than anything that they had

00:06:16.319sold in the past making them a major

00:06:18.720player within the polish video

00:06:20.000game distribution market and what's more

00:06:23.039it allowed the studio to finally

00:06:24.319transition to a more legitimate and

00:06:25.919sustainable business model

00:06:28.160they soon became the go-to polish video

00:06:30.479game distributor for many major video

00:06:32.160game publishers around the globe and

00:06:34.080games from studios like ubisoft and

00:06:35.840microsoft

00:06:36.560saw a huge influx of polish gamers and

00:06:38.960their online lobbies as a result

00:06:43.440at the start of the new millennium cd

00:06:45.440project opened their first software

00:06:47.039development studio

00:06:48.080cd projekt red and were hired to work on

00:06:50.400a pc port of the next baldur's gate game

00:06:52.639dark alliance but as the game's

00:06:54.880publisher interplay

00:06:56.319started to face major financial

00:06:57.919difficulties it became clear that the

00:06:59.759project would soon be a dead end

00:07:01.680and they were forced to cancel

00:07:02.880production this puts cd projekt

00:07:05.759in an uncomfortable position they had

00:07:08.160just spent six months on the project

00:07:09.919and were left completely blindsided but

00:07:12.400rather than just

00:07:13.199chalking it up as a loss the team

00:07:14.800decided to scavenge what they could

00:07:16.560and build their very own game from

00:07:18.000scratch they tossed around a few ideas

00:07:20.800many inspired by old tabletop games but

00:07:23.199they soon landed on the hugely popular

00:07:24.960polish fantasy stories by sapkowski

00:07:27.199that many within cd projekt red were

00:07:29.199already familiar with having read them

00:07:30.880recreationally throughout their school

00:07:32.240years

00:07:32.960what cemented this decision was the

00:07:34.800realization that the licensing for the

00:07:36.479witcher had been made available again

00:07:38.240following the cancellation of metropolis

00:07:40.080attempt and cd project

00:07:41.919immediately jumped on the opportunity

00:07:44.479now that they had the green light

00:07:45.680production began in 2003

00:07:47.440within a small two-room office in lods

00:07:49.840with only a small handful of developers

00:07:52.720early concepts of this new witcher game

00:07:54.400were based around the same concepts

00:07:55.919utilized in dark alliance

00:07:57.520with an isometric camera view and a

00:07:59.440focus on dungeon crawling and lots of

00:08:01.280monster slang

00:08:02.639players were even given the opportunity

00:08:04.240to design their own custom character to

00:08:05.759play through the game with

00:08:06.960interacting with npcs like geralt

00:08:08.960throughout the course of the campaign

00:08:11.199but the early years of development

00:08:12.639proved to be extremely difficult

00:08:14.639as there were some significant

00:08:15.919communication barriers between the

00:08:17.280writing team

00:08:18.160and the lead programmer sebastian

00:08:19.759zielinski

00:08:21.199sebastian the original creative director

00:08:23.120for the project had insisted on using

00:08:25.199his own game engine

00:08:26.319which had proven effective enough in his

00:08:28.560previous project

00:08:29.520mortar but the writing team argued that

00:08:32.080this engine was insufficient in

00:08:33.599delivering the sort of

00:08:34.399narrative-branching rpg experience they

00:08:36.080intended for the witcher

00:08:37.760they found themselves writing hundreds

00:08:39.279of pages of the game's script within the

00:08:40.719game engine itself

00:08:42.159just so they can export it and bounce

00:08:43.760ideas off each other

00:08:45.600the situation soon became so

00:08:47.200unproductive that cd projekt were forced

00:08:49.279to intervene

00:08:50.160dismissing sebastian and moving the

00:08:51.839remainder of the team over to a new

00:08:53.360office in warsaw

00:08:54.959at this point progress on the game was

00:08:56.800minimal with only three writers and a

00:08:58.800single programmer working on a

00:09:00.320remarkably low budget of only three

00:09:02.080hundred thousand dollars

00:09:03.519and now no game engine to build from

00:09:06.000after settling into his new warsaw

00:09:07.680office

00:09:08.160programming lead zard zanowski suggested

00:09:10.480that they use the aurora engine

00:09:12.240which he had used previously when

00:09:13.519working on neverwinter nights

00:09:15.839cd projekt having established a good

00:09:17.839relationship with bioware in the past

00:09:19.600agreed and secured the license for a

00:09:21.519reasonable

00:09:22.080fee allowing for development of the

00:09:23.760witcher to proceed

00:09:25.600but when the programmers received the

00:09:27.040engine code they found it was not nearly

00:09:29.040as easy to work with as they had hoped

00:09:31.440bioware had essentially sent them the

00:09:33.279entirety of neverwinter knights in a

00:09:35.120deconstructed form

00:09:36.720and in order to make it their own the

00:09:38.240dev team were forced to rewrite about 90

00:09:40.399of it a long and tedious process that

00:09:43.040ultimately impacted the scope of the

00:09:44.640game

00:09:45.920the witcher was first shown behind

00:09:47.519closed doors at e3 2004

00:09:49.600with an early look at the old manor

00:09:51.279island a section that players may

00:09:52.880recognize from the end of the game

00:09:54.640based on the demo many aspects of the

00:09:56.640dialogue interaction were already in

00:09:58.160place

00:09:58.959and there were even some rough examples

00:10:00.399of the game's point-and-click combat

00:10:01.760system as well

00:10:02.880the response from the press was

00:10:04.160generally positive and the developers

00:10:05.760took any constructive criticism they

00:10:07.360could in order to shape their game into

00:10:08.880something that western audiences would

00:10:10.320enjoy

00:10:11.600as development continued the project

00:10:13.279deadlines began to shape around the e3

00:10:15.279showcases

00:10:16.560massive new environments were erected

00:10:18.240like vazima outskirts and the city

00:10:20.160streets to excite the press at events

00:10:22.480and it worked as anticipation steadily

00:10:24.560mounted

00:10:25.760but as the game continued to grow it

00:10:27.920became clear that the player made

00:10:29.200character idea was not delivering the

00:10:30.800quality of storytelling that they

00:10:32.000wanted and as fans of the witcher books

00:10:34.000themselves they decided to change it

00:10:36.079the writers completely overhauled the

00:10:37.760script making geralt of rivia the sole

00:10:39.920protagonist of the game

00:10:41.600this presented a plethora of new

00:10:43.200problems as they wanted to avoid

00:10:44.720re-telling sapowski's stories

00:10:46.640but also didn't want to change them

00:10:48.320either so they agreed to set the game's

00:10:50.720plot

00:10:51.120after the events of the book series

00:10:52.720which required a bit of a retcon

00:10:55.120to help explain why players were stuck

00:10:56.720relearning of geralt's old abilities for

00:10:58.720example

00:10:59.279they introduced the concept of amnesia a

00:11:01.600fairly cliche band-aid of a fix but a

00:11:03.920fix nonetheless

00:11:05.519the amnesia idea also allowed players

00:11:07.440not already familiar with the witcher

00:11:09.040series

00:11:09.519to jump right in and experience it all

00:11:11.120for the first time without feeling too

00:11:13.120lost in its extensive lore

00:11:15.600old characters could be introduced again

00:11:17.519new relationships could be forged

00:11:19.279and players could be steadily eased into

00:11:21.120sapkowski's narrative

00:11:22.560that would be fully integrated by the

00:11:24.079third entry

00:11:25.600as the writers sculpted this new chapter

00:11:27.519to the witcher storyline

00:11:28.720the programmers and designers struggled

00:11:30.399to work with the often rigid engine that

00:11:32.160was aurora

00:11:33.360it proved difficult to achieve things

00:11:34.880like large open spaces

00:11:36.640so a lot of the code had to be rewritten

00:11:38.320to take advantage of the project's

00:11:39.519ambitious new scope

00:11:41.360lines upon lines of script were strewn

00:11:43.279together all contributing to the kingdom

00:11:45.279of the zema and its surrounding

00:11:46.720village's remarkably immersive feel

00:11:49.360when designing these areas their team

00:11:51.279took heavy inspiration from things like

00:11:52.959old renaissance era paintings and

00:11:54.560traditional slavic culture

00:11:56.240and coupled that with a much more grim

00:11:58.000and realistic art style

00:12:00.160one aspect that required a lot of

00:12:01.760additional effort was the design

00:12:03.440of the lighting the aurora engine by

00:12:06.079default would not allow for ambient

00:12:07.839lighting to transition smoothly from day

00:12:09.519to night

00:12:10.800this was obviously problematic for the

00:12:12.320team as a lot of the game's quests and

00:12:14.240npc pathing is based around the time of

00:12:16.000day

00:12:16.560so without any type of visual editor

00:12:18.800they had to painstakingly reconfigure

00:12:20.959each light map at every time interval to

00:12:23.040create the illusion of a flowing time

00:12:24.639cycle

00:12:25.920this was then coupled with a dynamic

00:12:27.519weather system that similarly had to

00:12:29.680have its ambient lighting manually

00:12:31.200adjusted

00:12:32.480meanwhile character model creation

00:12:34.320offered its own set of challenges

00:12:36.720the design of many of the characters

00:12:38.320especially the female models were

00:12:39.760strongly debated over as many found them

00:12:41.760to be overly sexualized and unrealistic

00:12:45.120but some of the higher-ups within the

00:12:46.639studio disagreed arguing that the

00:12:48.480designs were not only consistent with

00:12:49.839zapowski's description of the characters

00:12:51.680but

00:12:52.160also a valuable marketing tool as they

00:12:54.320felt a bulk of western gamers were

00:12:56.320sex-obsessed young males the fate of the

00:12:59.279world

00:12:59.760is in the balance and you're thinking

00:13:01.839about sex

00:13:03.440oh what the hell strip

00:13:06.560then there was the matter of getting

00:13:08.160these characters to move and behave

00:13:09.519believably

00:13:10.880at first they recorded hundreds of

00:13:12.720animations with a very rudimentary mocap

00:13:14.959system

00:13:15.760with a single actor hooked up to a bunch

00:13:17.519of cables and wires

00:13:18.800greatly restricting his movement this

00:13:21.440method was used to record several of the

00:13:23.120game's final animations

00:13:24.800including many of the monsters like the

00:13:26.399drowners but

00:13:27.839as cd projekt ramped up production value

00:13:30.000they rented a more advanced mocap studio

00:13:32.160and hired professional swordsmen to help

00:13:33.839properly capture geralt's impressive

00:13:35.519combat maneuvers

00:13:37.200this focus on authenticity and attention

00:13:39.680to detail helped to set the witcher's

00:13:41.279medieval world apart from other fantasy

00:13:43.040rpgs at the time

00:13:44.480and when coupled with sapowski's

00:13:46.000uniquely dark and grim style

00:13:48.079it became clear to audiences everywhere

00:13:49.839that the witcher was set to completely

00:13:51.600transform the genre

00:13:52.959finally after five years of development

00:13:55.199and an extended 5.3 million dollar

00:13:57.600budget

00:13:58.240cd projekt released their first game the

00:14:00.160witcher exclusively for the pc

00:14:02.880the witcher takes place in the year 1270

00:14:05.360in a fictional european style continent

00:14:07.440made up of several warring factions

00:14:09.440mainly the northern kingdoms and the

00:14:11.519significantly more powerful and wealthy

00:14:13.199nilfgaardian empire

00:14:14.880this world also plays host to a large

00:14:16.800assortment of fantastical elements

00:14:18.720as a result of a cataclysmic event known

00:14:20.800as the conjunction of spheres where the

00:14:22.560world briefly crossed paths with another

00:14:24.480dimension

00:14:25.279unleashing unusual creatures monsters

00:14:27.760and magic throughout the world

00:14:30.000to help combat the more vicious of these

00:14:31.680new creatures humans established the

00:14:33.519order of the witchers

00:14:34.959a group of knights and mages who were

00:14:36.480exposed to an extreme level of mutagens

00:14:38.720in hopes of making them more physically

00:14:40.240capable to deal with the new threat

00:14:42.560but because of the high mortality rate

00:14:44.560when trying to rapidly change human dna

00:14:46.800the program was abandoned and the few

00:14:48.720surviving participants split

00:14:50.560creating their own independent schools

00:14:52.320all focused on killing monsters for

00:14:53.839their own personal

00:14:54.880monetary gain the player assumes the

00:14:58.399role of geralt of rivia

00:15:00.000a witcher from the school of the wolf

00:15:01.600who wakes up in the middle of the woods

00:15:03.040with amnesia

00:15:04.079mortally wounded and being pursued by an

00:15:06.079unknown enemy

00:15:07.519he's soon saved by other members of his

00:15:09.360school and is wheeled off to his home in

00:15:10.959the northern mountains kiramorin

00:15:12.880but soon after arriving the fortress is

00:15:14.959attacked by a group of bandits

00:15:16.639who with the help of some powerful mages

00:15:19.120managed to breach the witcher's secret

00:15:20.639underground lab

00:15:21.760and make off with their powerful

00:15:23.199mutagens battered and beaten the

00:15:25.839witchers reconvened to say farewell to

00:15:27.600the fallen

00:15:28.240and agree to venture out across the

00:15:29.759world to find those responsible

00:15:32.240geralt having earned favor with its king

00:15:34.320in the past is sent to the kingdom of

00:15:36.000temeria

00:15:36.880where most of the first game story takes

00:15:38.639place but finding these thieves proves

00:15:40.959to be extremely difficult

00:15:42.399as the kingdom of temeria has its own

00:15:44.480fair share of problems to deal with

00:15:46.079including a pack of ghostly dogs

00:15:47.759terrorizing the village folk

00:15:50.800racial unrest between the city's

00:15:52.480non-human residence and the religious

00:15:54.320sect called the order of the flaming

00:15:55.759rose

00:15:56.560and the return of the monstrous striga

00:15:58.800that evidently wasn't completely cured

00:16:00.880the first time

00:16:05.120throughout his journey geralt is

00:16:06.480reunited with several old faces

00:16:08.480most notably the dwarf zoltan the

00:16:10.639sorceress and potential major love

00:16:12.639interest

00:16:13.120tris marigold and of course the barb

00:16:15.680dandelion one of geralt's closest

00:16:17.600companions

00:16:18.480geralt is experiencing cognitive

00:16:20.240dissonance a rather unpleasant

00:16:22.079tension that accompanies the appearance

00:16:23.600of two conflicting cognitions

00:16:25.440be they thoughts or judgments you're so

00:16:27.920foolish

00:16:28.480dandelion but there's also a number of

00:16:30.480new characters to me like

00:16:31.759jacques de aldesberg grand master of the

00:16:33.759order coxstein a master alchemist

00:16:36.639an alvin a young boy with unnatural

00:16:39.040abilities

00:16:40.079who eventually plays a major role in the

00:16:41.759game's story serving a similar role to

00:16:44.320the character siri

00:16:45.680only with a wildly different and

00:16:47.440surprising outcome

00:16:50.959but possibly one of the most important

00:16:52.880aspects of the witcher story

00:16:54.399is its focus on a player choice driven

00:16:56.480narrative

00:16:57.680while most of the dialogue choices

00:16:58.959throughout the game simply provide more

00:17:00.480information on the world or the current

00:17:02.079situation

00:17:03.279many can directly impact how future

00:17:05.120events unfold this can range from simple

00:17:07.600things like

00:17:08.240paying off a guard versus fighting them

00:17:09.919to gain access to a building

00:17:11.520to much more critical narrative forks

00:17:13.839like deciding to side with the scoia

00:17:15.520tell

00:17:16.079or siding with the order of the flaming

00:17:17.600rose this choice-based system

00:17:20.079also greatly impacts the way characters

00:17:21.919will interact with the player

00:17:23.520with characters being either more

00:17:24.799cooperative or dismissive depending on

00:17:26.959the established relationship

00:17:29.200doubt that'll make shawnee happy this

00:17:31.360system helps to give the witcher a

00:17:32.960significant amount of replay value

00:17:35.039and remarkably the choices that the

00:17:37.039player makes can even be carried forward

00:17:39.120into future entries in the series

00:17:41.039similar to bioware's mass effect

00:17:42.799franchise for a game made in 2007

00:17:45.440the witcher offers a remarkably

00:17:46.880ambitious storyline with some clever

00:17:49.120writing that does a respectful job of

00:17:50.880tapping into sapowski's own style while

00:17:52.960also expanding upon established lore to

00:17:54.799make something completely different

00:17:57.039but of course that's only a fraction of

00:17:58.960the overall experience

00:18:00.640the witcher is after all a video game

00:18:02.720and thus offers a wide range of gameplay

00:18:04.720mechanics to enhance the experience

00:18:06.160further

00:18:07.039the witcher is an rpg played from a

00:18:09.280third person perspective

00:18:10.799that pairs plenty of player driven

00:18:12.400dialogue and decision making with a

00:18:13.919complex combat and player upgrade system

00:18:16.640inspired by the likes of past action rpg

00:18:18.799experiences

00:18:20.559players take control of geralt from

00:18:22.000either an isometric camera perspective

00:18:24.000or from a more modern over-the-shoulder

00:18:25.840third-person viewpoint

00:18:27.360and embark on an extended adventure

00:18:29.200through several large environments

00:18:30.960completing quests and ranking up their

00:18:32.720abilities

00:18:35.440the main campaign is broken up into

00:18:37.200seven sections each with several

00:18:39.280mainline and secondary quest to complete

00:18:42.160the main quest typically pertained to

00:18:43.679garel's investigation of the karamorin

00:18:45.520attack

00:18:46.559but accomplishing this is no easy task

00:18:48.799as the citizens of the zema

00:18:50.240and its surrounding countryside have

00:18:51.760their own priorities and aren't willing

00:18:53.840to part with valuable information so

00:18:55.440easily

00:18:56.000i will answer your ever so dull question

00:18:59.600if you bring me what i most desire

00:19:02.799most of the time this involves running

00:19:04.480an errand for them or helping to resolve

00:19:06.320some sort of simple dispute

00:19:08.559but seeing as the world is partially

00:19:10.480occupied by magic and monsters

00:19:12.480things can get out of hand quickly and

00:19:14.559garrett will often need to hack and

00:19:15.760slash his way through all sorts of

00:19:17.200deadly enemies

00:19:18.720[Applause]

00:19:20.320though not every problem can be solved

00:19:22.240with a blade

00:19:23.360sometimes all it takes is the careful

00:19:24.960choice of words

00:19:26.400negotiation can be achieved in several

00:19:28.240different ways

00:19:29.440some npcs will respond positively to

00:19:31.360receiving a particular gift

00:19:33.039i never turn down good fizztech while

00:19:36.080others can be bartered with by offering

00:19:38.000an undisclosed amount of coin upstairs

00:19:40.960my prince

00:19:42.640but a few npcs can be a bit trickier i

00:19:45.520need you to help me with an autopsy

00:19:47.440what that's illegal only offering

00:19:50.320certain dialogue choices at specific

00:19:52.000times of day shawnee i need your help

00:19:54.720with an autopsy okay though i'm no

00:19:56.480coroner

00:19:57.520or only fully trusting the player if

00:19:59.280they first show them an equipped signet

00:20:00.960ring

00:20:02.080a ring of the eternal fire must be from

00:20:05.679the reverend

00:20:06.799bears can even challenge these

00:20:07.919characters to drinking contests in hopes

00:20:09.760of extracting

00:20:10.480important intel while they're drunk

00:20:11.760drinking with you is a [ __ ] treat

00:20:14.400i'll show you something interesting

00:20:16.400though i shouldn't

00:20:17.679but what's so great about the system is

00:20:19.280that you're really forced to choose

00:20:20.960one particular method there's often

00:20:23.039multiple paths to the same goal

00:20:24.799with no true right answer even for the

00:20:27.679most

00:20:28.080important story based decisions the game

00:20:30.159does a great job of hiding the

00:20:31.440consequences of the player's choice

00:20:32.960until much later on

00:20:34.559preventing any type of trial and error

00:20:36.320gameplay

00:20:37.760this method greatly encourages players

00:20:39.440to make decisions that they themselves

00:20:40.960would make

00:20:41.840rather than trying to guess what the

00:20:43.039intended choice should be

00:20:44.720[Music]

00:20:46.880an absolute must when forming these

00:20:48.799types of choice-based narratives

00:20:51.520but the quests aren't the only thing to

00:20:53.120experience in the world of the witcher

00:20:54.799the temerian countryside feels very much

00:20:56.880like a living breathing world

00:20:58.720with lots of different people to meet

00:21:00.480activities to participate in and secrets

00:21:02.559to uncover

00:21:03.679what really surprised me was the

00:21:05.280incredible level of detail that went

00:21:06.960into programming the game's scripted ai

00:21:09.440each npc in the world has very specific

00:21:11.520instructions written in that dictate

00:21:13.120where they'll go throughout the course

00:21:14.320of the day

00:21:15.760blacksmiths for example will wake up in

00:21:17.760the morning leave their house and head

00:21:19.360to their shop

00:21:20.400and then later they could be found

00:21:21.760unwinding at a local pub or relaxing by

00:21:24.080the fire with friends

00:21:25.679children will play outside guards will

00:21:27.679run patrols and when it rains

00:21:29.760all the characters will drop what

00:21:30.880they're doing and run for shelter

00:21:32.720commenting on the sudden downpour

00:21:35.520a wall of rain it's not necessarily the

00:21:38.799same as the type of open world games

00:21:40.480we've become accustomed to

00:21:41.919but coming from a completely new

00:21:43.360developer in 2007

00:21:44.960this game world is pretty impressive

00:21:47.200which brings us to the witcher's combat

00:21:49.360design

00:21:50.320this is probably the area of the

00:21:51.600original witcher that has aged the worst

00:21:53.840since its initial debut

00:21:55.200as it feels remarkably disconnected and

00:21:57.520unusual when compared to the likes of

00:21:59.200other

00:21:59.600melee focused action adventure games

00:22:03.039first off in staying true with the books

00:22:05.440geralt has two main swords to choose

00:22:07.200from

00:22:07.919the standard steel sword that's intended

00:22:10.640for human-like opponents

00:22:12.480and the silver sword that is more

00:22:14.400powerful against monsters

00:22:18.720geralt can additionally equip a third

00:22:20.400melee weapon to his waist

00:22:21.760though it's not all that necessary when

00:22:24.080swords are drawn

00:22:25.120players simply need to click on an enemy

00:22:26.880to initiate an attack

00:22:28.480and can follow up with increasingly more

00:22:30.159powerful combos

00:22:31.520like carefully timing their follow-up

00:22:33.039attacks whenever the mouse cursor

00:22:34.559changes its look

00:22:36.240like clicking too early or too late will

00:22:38.480cancel the combo

00:22:39.600resetting geralt back to his default

00:22:41.360attack pattern

00:22:43.120players can also select between three

00:22:44.640different fight styles fast

00:22:46.720group and strong each necessary for

00:22:49.039specific types of enemy configurations

00:22:51.840it's a pretty awkward system even for

00:22:54.159the time it released but once the player

00:22:56.240starts to upgrade their stats and unlock

00:22:58.080more powerful signs

00:22:59.520it starts to become second nature and

00:23:01.760gail's crazy flips and somersaults while

00:23:04.000he dodges along with his often brutal

00:23:06.240fudegra finisher moves are still

00:23:08.400impressive to behold

00:23:11.120then of course there's geralt's

00:23:12.640superhuman abilities referred to as

00:23:14.720signs

00:23:15.919signs are powerful magical abilities

00:23:17.840that help to give the witcher a fighting

00:23:19.360chance against his monstrous adversaries

00:23:22.080there's art that can send out a powerful

00:23:24.400blast of energy

00:23:25.600knocking enemies back and sometimes

00:23:27.200stunning them for an instant finisher

00:23:31.679igni that sends out a burst of flames

00:23:34.000from geralt's fingertips

00:23:36.480uridin that deploys spike-based traps on

00:23:38.880the ground

00:23:40.080quen that offers some protection from

00:23:42.159attacks

00:23:43.200an axi that can influence weak-minded

00:23:45.840opponents and turn them against their

00:23:47.279own allies

00:23:48.480each of these signs when used consumes

00:23:50.320the player's endurance

00:23:51.520represented by a yellow bar under their

00:23:53.360health bar thereby limiting their use

00:23:55.520during combat

00:23:57.039but carefully timing them and using the

00:23:58.880right sign against the right enemy

00:24:00.480can drastically change the tide of a

00:24:02.000battle however

00:24:03.840these aren't the witcher's only weapons

00:24:05.600at their disposal

00:24:06.960another important aspect of the game's

00:24:08.559combat is preparing for battles ahead of

00:24:10.400time

00:24:11.200either by coating their swords and

00:24:12.799specialized oils or by using alchemy to

00:24:15.440brew potions

00:24:16.880both of which grant the player temporary

00:24:18.799enhancements

00:24:20.159like with signs cushions are balanced to

00:24:22.240prevent them from being too overpowered

00:24:24.240and will increase the player's toxicity

00:24:26.000meter with increased amounts of toxicity

00:24:28.400draining health and

00:24:29.360causing some slight image distortion on

00:24:31.200screen

00:24:32.640then of course there's the character

00:24:34.159upgrade system as players complete more

00:24:36.640quests and progress further in the game

00:24:38.400they'll continue to earn increased

00:24:39.760amounts of xp and will be rewarded with

00:24:42.320special talent points

00:24:44.000that can be used in the game's upgrade

00:24:45.520tree this tree can be used to enhance

00:24:48.480nearly every aspect of geralt's

00:24:50.080abilities

00:24:51.279from his swordsmanship to the power of

00:24:53.360his signs

00:24:54.480slowly transitioning him back into the

00:24:56.400legendary witcher from dandelion songs

00:24:59.440overall the original witcher provides a

00:25:01.520remarkably deep and well-thought-out

00:25:03.360role-playing experience

00:25:05.039its complex narrative coupled with its

00:25:07.120dynamic branching choice-based mission

00:25:09.120design and solid pacing

00:25:10.799resonated strongly with fans and the

00:25:13.039game's initial release was met with

00:25:14.640solid reception across the board

00:25:16.880it was generally praised for its

00:25:18.240beautiful visual presentation story

00:25:20.159quality

00:25:20.720and accompanying musical score and was

00:25:23.039even given the award for best rpg of the

00:25:25.039year by both game spy

00:25:26.480and ign however it didn't win

00:25:30.000everything as mass effect had also

00:25:31.919released in that same year

00:25:33.440offering some stiff competition still

00:25:36.640to even be compared to the likes of

00:25:38.400bioware with their very first foray into

00:25:40.400the world of game development

00:25:41.679is an incredible achievement and helped

00:25:43.600to put cd projekt on the map as

00:25:45.440not just a polish localization studio

00:25:48.000but a true competitor in the market

00:25:50.559and their next project would expand that

00:25:52.080idea to an even larger audience

00:25:59.279following the success of the witcher's

00:26:00.720first official video game debut

00:26:02.559cd projects sought to expand their

00:26:04.080influence even further by means of their

00:26:06.240new platform

00:26:07.279good old games the good old games

00:26:09.520initiative was a direct response to the

00:26:11.440increase in drm protected pc games in

00:26:13.919the mid 2000s

00:26:15.440cd project having experience dealing

00:26:17.679with simplifying software distribution

00:26:19.440in the past

00:26:20.159saw this as an opportunity and

00:26:22.000established their own digital

00:26:23.200distribution platform

00:26:24.480where every title made available for it

00:26:26.400would be completely drm free

00:26:28.799unsurprisingly few publishers saw the

00:26:30.880advantage of such a platform

00:26:32.240as it seemed counterproductive in their

00:26:34.000fight against the growing threat of

00:26:35.360piracy

00:26:36.799but its goal of creating goodwill with

00:26:38.559the customers ultimately earned the

00:26:40.080trust of larger companies like interplay

00:26:41.760and ubisoft

00:26:43.039encouraging other publishers to follow

00:26:44.960suit this

00:26:46.400consumer-first mentality is a major

00:26:48.640component of cd projekt's rise to fame

00:26:51.120and will become even more important

00:26:53.120throughout the course of the 2010s

00:26:55.840meanwhile back at cd projekt red the

00:26:58.240development team

00:26:58.960spent most of 2008 working on an

00:27:01.120enhanced edition of their first game

00:27:03.440while the game was allowed for its

00:27:04.799technical prowess there was still plenty

00:27:06.880of room for improvement

00:27:08.159including npc and animation variety

00:27:10.720along with a few localization issues

00:27:12.559that they had missed the first time

00:27:13.679around

00:27:15.120cd projekt also expressed interest in

00:27:17.039delivering their witcher experience to

00:27:18.640console audiences

00:27:20.000and agreed to a deal with atari to have

00:27:21.840a small french studio called widescreen

00:27:24.000games work on a console port

00:27:26.080but this decision quickly came back to

00:27:28.159haunt all those involved

00:27:29.760as trying to rework a game built heavily

00:27:31.760around the pc centric

00:27:33.120aurora engine proved to be impossible

00:27:35.520with the allotted time

00:27:36.640and resources after five months of

00:27:39.360development

00:27:40.000it became obvious that progress on the

00:27:41.679port was not being made

00:27:43.279and neither side was willing to accept

00:27:44.880blame for the hold up according to the

00:27:46.880ceo at widescreen

00:27:48.000games olivier maskleff their studio was

00:27:50.320being left in the dark regarding

00:27:51.679upcoming milestone dates

00:27:53.200and after not getting paid for a few

00:27:54.720months they were forced to halt

00:27:56.159development

00:27:57.120but cd projekt zuwinski tells a

00:27:59.039different story claiming that the

00:28:00.480developer at widescreen had been getting

00:28:02.240paid more than the developers within

00:28:03.760their own company

00:28:05.520the project was ultimately cancelled in

00:28:07.2002009 effectively bankrupting widescreen

00:28:10.000games

00:28:10.640and their publisher atari wasn't happy

00:28:13.679so to help mull things over cd project

00:28:16.240agreed to make atari the publisher for

00:28:18.159the next big entry to the witcher series

00:28:21.440having just narrowly avoided a costly

00:28:23.520conflict that could have easily

00:28:24.880bankrupted the entire studio

00:28:26.640the team at cd projekt red could finally

00:28:28.640turn their attention to the future

00:28:30.399and began experimenting with ideas for

00:28:32.240the next witcher game

00:28:33.840right from the start the developers knew

00:28:35.520that the aurora engine while

00:28:37.200a godsend to them in the past had to be

00:28:39.520replaced

00:28:40.399it was too rigid for their purposes and

00:28:42.880it was ultimately the

00:28:44.000biggest reason that the console port

00:28:45.600failed so spectacularly

00:28:47.440so they test their programming team to

00:28:49.279construct prototypes for a brand new

00:28:51.279in-house graphics engine architecture

00:28:53.440referred to internally as the red engine

00:28:56.240the red engine was tailor-made for the

00:28:58.159witcher 2 and even saw most of its

00:29:00.080creation done throughout the course of

00:29:01.520the game's development

00:29:03.279if the developers felt they needed

00:29:04.720something to improve the look of the

00:29:05.919game

00:29:06.480then the programmers would find a way to

00:29:08.080make it a part of the engine

00:29:10.080lighting for example no longer required

00:29:12.240a tedious workaround

00:29:13.520and was integrated seamlessly with a new

00:29:15.679dynamic shadow system

00:29:18.000the game's models and artificial

00:29:19.840intelligence were also improved upon

00:29:21.760with higher quality parallax mapping and

00:29:24.080increased layers of scripted actions to

00:29:26.080help make character behavior more

00:29:27.600believable

00:29:29.039but some of the most important

00:29:30.159improvements were made to the combat

00:29:31.840design

00:29:33.039early prototypes of the witcher 2

00:29:34.720featured a combat design

00:29:36.080not too dissimilar from the combat in

00:29:37.760the original game

00:29:39.120with the same timed point and click

00:29:41.120action and manually selected fighting

00:29:42.960stances

00:29:44.000they even toyed around with the idea for

00:29:45.600quick time events in the hopes of making

00:29:47.520the action more intense

00:29:49.279but this proved to take too much away

00:29:51.279from the gameplay experience

00:29:52.559and never made it into the final game

00:29:54.880other improvements were achieved by

00:29:56.240coordinating with third-party tool

00:29:58.000makers like havoc

00:29:59.279allowing for new ragdoll physics and

00:30:01.200destruction to really bring the world of

00:30:03.039the witcher to life

00:30:05.039but with all the effort being put into

00:30:06.640both an engine and a new game at the

00:30:08.640peak of a major economic downturn in the

00:30:10.559late 2000s

00:30:11.679city project red were forced to tone

00:30:13.840down their wild ambition

00:30:15.840cutting out a major location intended to

00:30:17.760expand on the scoyotel storyline

00:30:19.840along with major cuts to the final act

00:30:22.240what's more

00:30:22.960the planned follow-up to the sequel

00:30:24.799known internally as just the witcher 3

00:30:27.039had to be shelled for the time being as

00:30:29.440it was initially planned to release

00:30:31.279soon after finally after only three

00:30:34.559years of development time cd projekt

00:30:36.640released their second game

00:30:38.159the witcher 2 assassins of kings a game

00:30:41.120that would greatly help to bolster their

00:30:42.960reputation in the industry

00:30:45.440the witcher 2 takes place directly after

00:30:47.360the events of the original game

00:30:48.960with geralt working in close

00:30:50.320collaboration with king full test of

00:30:51.919tamaria

00:30:52.720after having thwarted an assassination

00:30:54.559attempt against him

00:30:56.000uneasy about his near-death experience

00:30:58.240fultest demands that his illegitimate

00:31:00.000children of the baroness lavalette be

00:31:02.080returned to his palace in bezema

00:31:04.399but when the baroness refuses full test

00:31:06.559launches an aggressive assault on her

00:31:08.240stronghold

00:31:09.039and asks geralt to accompany him as a

00:31:10.880sort of good luck charm

00:31:13.519but geralt's presence proves

00:31:14.880insufficient as a deterrent as a

00:31:16.720mysterious assassin manages to sneak by

00:31:19.039and cut full test down

00:31:20.559and geralt being the only witness to the

00:31:22.559attack is accused of being a kingslayer

00:31:24.960desperate to prove his innocence geralt

00:31:26.799escapes from the castle dungeons with

00:31:28.240the help of the leader of the tiberian

00:31:29.600special forces vernon roach

00:31:31.600and travels to a nearby riverside town

00:31:33.519called fotsem in an effort to track down

00:31:35.679the real kingslayer

00:31:36.960and along the way uncovered the truth

00:31:38.960about his past

00:31:40.799but just like with the original game

00:31:42.640geralt soon finds himself swept up in

00:31:44.720several other

00:31:45.519significant situations including more

00:31:48.159racial unrest between the rebellious

00:31:49.840scoia'tael and the fractured remnants of

00:31:51.760the temerian military

00:31:53.279along with a desperate land grab attempt

00:31:55.120between the kingdoms of rodania and

00:31:56.799cowdwin

00:31:58.000to make matters worse a dragon has been

00:32:00.000spotted terrorizing the pontar valley

00:32:02.159the nilfgaard are prepping for an

00:32:03.840all-out invasion and the legendary wild

00:32:06.000hunt whom geralt had encountered at the

00:32:07.840end of the first game continued to be an

00:32:09.679ever-present threat to the entirety of

00:32:11.360the world

00:32:12.399it's an overall far more expansive and

00:32:14.880ambitious plot than the first game

00:32:16.799pushing even more of sapowski's deep

00:32:18.480lore into the player's core

00:32:20.080but with the help of a well-structured

00:32:22.000quest design and plenty of optional

00:32:23.760exposition provided by geralt's many

00:32:25.519returning friends

00:32:26.559the game's story is easily digestible to

00:32:28.640even the most novice witcher fans

00:32:31.279the witcher 2 also sees the return of

00:32:33.039the original's choice-based narrative

00:32:34.880design

00:32:35.760only with a slightly more cinematic

00:32:37.679flair to the camera work

00:32:39.039to help make each conversation feel more

00:32:40.880interesting

00:32:42.240players still need to think carefully

00:32:43.760about the choices that they make as

00:32:45.440there are several different paths

00:32:46.720through the game depending on the

00:32:47.840alliances that are established

00:32:49.760choosing the side with yorvith and this

00:32:51.279band of skoyatel warriors for example

00:32:53.200will push you to the city of virgin

00:32:54.960to fight for the rights of non-humans

00:32:57.279but this will subsequently hurt your

00:32:59.200relationship with vernon roach

00:33:00.960and lock you out of the quest line at

00:33:02.640the kedwood military camps

00:33:04.159roach it's really important only you can

00:33:06.559help me

00:33:07.440now you want my help i'll gladly return

00:33:10.320the favor

00:33:11.440oh wait you did nothing for me

00:33:14.880like before the witcher 2 offers some

00:33:16.880fantastic replay potential as there's a

00:33:18.960lot of different scenarios to explore

00:33:20.799with no real right answer and the

00:33:23.200overall feel and tone of the game's

00:33:24.720writing continues to feel consistent

00:33:26.320with that of the witcher saga

00:33:28.559the gameplay on the other hand marks a

00:33:30.399major turning point for the series

00:33:32.320as it has been drastically revamped with

00:33:34.399more intuitive controls and mechanics

00:33:36.320designed to take full advantage of the

00:33:37.840planned console port

00:33:41.679the general principle remains the same

00:33:43.519players control geralt on an epic

00:33:45.120adventure filled with lots of narrative

00:33:46.720choices in monster slaying

00:33:48.159but there's a slightly more

00:33:49.519claustrophobic feel to the world

00:33:51.519as the level environments are noticeably

00:33:53.200smaller and less connected

00:33:56.000unlike the witcher's temerian kingdom

00:33:57.840where players could freely travel

00:33:59.200between different districts and venture

00:34:00.960around outside

00:34:02.080the witcher 2 offers more varied

00:34:03.679environments locked to particular

00:34:05.360chapters

00:34:08.240the first chapter for example begins in

00:34:10.240a small swamp village called flotsam

00:34:12.720with some village people to interact

00:34:14.159with and plenty of monsters to slay in

00:34:16.000the nearby forest

00:34:19.040but depending on the choices made

00:34:20.480throughout the course of this section

00:34:21.919geralt will then travel to one of two

00:34:23.599completely new environments

00:34:25.040with no option to return these sections

00:34:27.520are also the only areas that let players

00:34:29.440explore at their own pace

00:34:30.800as both the prologue and lafollette

00:34:32.480castle and the final chapter

00:34:34.079in the abandoned city of lochmauin are

00:34:36.560more linear and scripted in their design

00:34:38.960in an attempt to make the experience

00:34:40.560feel more cinematic

00:34:42.079thankfully because of the improvements

00:34:43.760made to the game's combat mechanics

00:34:45.520this works strongly in favor of the

00:34:47.200witcher 2.

00:34:48.960rather than the unusual point-and-click

00:34:51.040combat from the first game

00:34:52.320the witcher 2 offers a more modernized

00:34:54.480lock-on melee combat system

00:34:56.639the same type of system that we see in

00:34:58.480most modern rpgs today

00:35:00.560the three selectable combat styles have

00:35:02.480been retired in favor of a much simpler

00:35:04.960light and heavy attack that can be

00:35:06.800repeatedly pressed to perform combos

00:35:08.560without any specific timing requirement

00:35:11.440instead that timing concept has been

00:35:13.839applied to the player's new blocking

00:35:15.440abilities

00:35:16.480that allows players to parry and perform

00:35:18.320a repost adding much needed defensive

00:35:20.880options to the swordplay

00:35:22.400along with blocking players can also

00:35:24.240dodge and roll more effectively

00:35:26.160and the brutal finishers now trigger new

00:35:28.480locked camera angles giving the

00:35:30.320takedowns a more

00:35:31.359cinematic flair

00:35:34.960even geralt's powerful sign abilities

00:35:36.720have seen an update with the endurance

00:35:38.720bar being replaced by a segmented vigor

00:35:40.960bar instead

00:35:42.079and the urdon sign being changed to stun

00:35:44.800targets directly

00:35:49.599other changes include a much larger

00:35:51.440selection of armor items to equip

00:35:53.440a cleaner ui with radial dials to more

00:35:56.160easily swap between items during combat

00:35:58.560and a completely overhauled player

00:36:00.560progression system

00:36:02.079that condenses the extensive list of

00:36:04.000upgrades from before into only four

00:36:05.839distinct categories

00:36:07.680with some of the abilities being

00:36:09.200upgradeable multiple times

00:36:11.040and some that can be enhanced further

00:36:12.720using rare mutagen items

00:36:15.680together the witcher 2's updates to its

00:36:17.680gameplay mechanics along with its more

00:36:19.599focused storyline

00:36:20.800make it a significantly more accessible

00:36:22.720gaming experience

00:36:24.320and because they had created the red

00:36:25.839engine specifically so that it would be

00:36:27.520easier to port over to the console

00:36:29.440cd projekt red were quick to release a

00:36:31.440port of the game for the xbox 360 only a

00:36:33.839year later

00:36:34.800a move that would establish an even

00:36:36.480firmer foothold with its western

00:36:38.839audiences

00:36:40.160all in all the witcher 2 perfectly

00:36:42.079encapsulates the idea of less is more

00:36:45.040sure its campaign is about a third of

00:36:46.880the length of the original game

00:36:48.560and the level environments are much

00:36:50.000smaller when compared to the original

00:36:51.440games temeria

00:36:52.720but the countless improvements that were

00:36:54.160made to the core mechanics especially

00:36:56.000the combat and the branching narrative

00:36:58.160quests

00:36:58.800make it an even more enjoyable

00:37:00.400experience and the sentiment

00:37:02.400appears to have been shared throughout

00:37:03.599the industry as the witcher 2 received

00:37:05.760glowing reception from most major

00:37:07.520publications

00:37:09.280many praised the game for its gorgeous

00:37:11.119visual presentation

00:37:12.640noting how well it translated over to

00:37:14.320the console platform despite its

00:37:16.160hardware limitations

00:37:17.839while others applauded the developers

00:37:19.200for updating the game's combat

00:37:21.119stating that it offered a challenging

00:37:22.800but rewarding feel

00:37:24.720however not everyone shared these

00:37:26.480opinions a few criticized the game for

00:37:28.720its lackluster ending

00:37:30.079claiming that it felt unfinished while

00:37:32.720others like

00:37:33.520rock paper shotgun called cd projekt red

00:37:36.160out for their excessive sexual content

00:37:38.320especially in regards to the game's

00:37:39.920female characters

00:37:41.680but these complaints fell mostly on deaf

00:37:43.760ears as the game continued to earn

00:37:45.680widespread praise and record sales

00:37:47.760numbers from the company

00:37:49.200breaking one million units sold within

00:37:51.040the first year a number that would

00:37:53.040continue to rise steadily a cd project

00:37:55.280would press on with their biggest most

00:37:57.119ambitious project yet

00:38:03.760now before we move on i think it's

00:38:05.680important to recognize some of the

00:38:07.119extraneous factors that likely

00:38:08.480contributed to the witcher success

00:38:10.079around this time period

00:38:11.920yes cd projekt made a fantastic sequel

00:38:14.480and yes it was more accessible thanks to

00:38:16.560its xbox 360 release

00:38:18.640but in the early 2010s there was also a

00:38:21.280sharp spike in interest around

00:38:22.880low fantasy in general game of thrones

00:38:25.839the hit

00:38:26.480hbo show based on the books by george rr

00:38:28.960martin had just begun to air

00:38:31.200and quickly began to dominate pop

00:38:32.880culture

00:38:34.240around the same time bethesda released

00:38:36.240their hugely ambitious new entry to the

00:38:37.920elder scrolls series

00:38:39.040skyrim only further pulling consumer

00:38:42.000interest

00:38:42.400back towards the same genre that the

00:38:44.000witcher also occupied

00:38:46.240but cd project's next game would push

00:38:48.160the boundaries further than anyone could

00:38:49.839have anticipated

00:38:51.119taking their dynamic storytelling to an

00:38:53.119entirely new level

00:38:54.480and combining it with the sprawling open

00:38:56.560world environments that witcher fans

00:38:58.079have been dreaming of for decades

00:39:00.560by 2013 cd projekt confirmed what the

00:39:03.440end credit cutscene in witcher 2 had

00:39:05.280already convinced fans

00:39:06.880that a third entry to the popular

00:39:08.240witcher series was on its way

00:39:10.000and with each announcement video and e3

00:39:12.480demonstration

00:39:13.359the hype surrounding its development

00:39:14.960steadily grew to unprecedented levels

00:39:17.760it was said to be the single greatest

00:39:19.599role-playing experience of a generation

00:39:21.760and the epic conclusion to geralt of

00:39:23.520rivia's tale

00:39:24.800cd-red fully aware of the hype

00:39:26.560surrounding its new project

00:39:28.000massively increased the size of the

00:39:29.440development team and invested a sizable

00:39:31.839amount in

00:39:32.400updating the red engine to take full

00:39:34.000advantage of the then new console

00:39:35.520platforms

00:39:37.200the engine had already seen a slight

00:39:39.119update with the enhanced edition release

00:39:40.880of the witcher 2

00:39:42.560but red engine 3 was on a whole new

00:39:45.200level

00:39:45.920built specifically around creating

00:39:47.599massive open world environments

00:39:50.000and this was key as the developers were

00:39:51.920intent on creating the ultimate witcher

00:39:53.760experience

00:39:54.560fulfilling on their original promise to

00:39:56.400bring sapowski's world to life

00:39:58.960but if they were going to pull this off

00:40:00.800they were going to have to step

00:40:02.240outside their comfort zone and deliver

00:40:04.319in ways they had never done before

00:40:06.319one way they achieved this was by

00:40:08.079sending out a team of field researchers

00:40:09.680to the uk

00:40:10.480to film the various cliff sides of

00:40:11.920scotland capturing close-up imagery of

00:40:14.240things like forest floors and tree bark

00:40:16.480to help replicate their appearance in

00:40:18.079the red engine as closely as possible

00:40:20.240they also continue to refine the engine

00:40:22.000itself with more advanced capabilities

00:40:24.240increasing the number of particle

00:40:25.599effects incorporating new volumetric

00:40:27.680lighting

00:40:28.319and programming in new dynamic weather

00:40:30.160systems only further adding to the game

00:40:32.400world's realism

00:40:34.319when recording dialogue for the game's

00:40:36.000ambitious lineup of characters the

00:40:37.920developers took advantage of the

00:40:39.119constant hype surrounding the game of

00:40:40.480thrones series

00:40:41.599and tapped charles dance the actor that

00:40:43.680played the ruthless tywin lannister

00:40:45.680to play a somewhat similar role as the

00:40:48.160leader of the nilfgaardian empire

00:40:50.000i had forgotten how insolent you can be

00:40:52.880what's even more impressive is that

00:40:54.400cd projekt took the massive 80 billion

00:40:56.560dollar budget for the game's development

00:40:58.160upon themselves

00:40:59.440and opted to self-publish the project

00:41:01.440using support from their extremely loyal

00:41:03.200fan base

00:41:03.839and the revenue from their increasingly

00:41:05.520more popular gog platform

00:41:07.520to aid in covering the cost it was a

00:41:09.680risky move one that most developers

00:41:11.680would never think to take without having

00:41:13.359other projects in the pipeline to make

00:41:14.960ends meet if things fell apart

00:41:16.960a cd project were confident in their

00:41:18.800abilities and pressed forward anyway

00:41:21.920they did however run into a few snacks

00:41:24.079throughout the course of development

00:41:25.920the game was initially meant to release

00:41:27.359as early as 2013

00:41:29.520but they were ultimately forced to

00:41:30.800postpone due to a plethora of

00:41:32.319game-breaking bugs and

00:41:33.680various other forms of instability this

00:41:36.079soon became a common trend for those

00:41:37.839following the witcher 3's development

00:41:39.599as cd projekt red were forced to delay

00:41:41.520the game once again from 2014

00:41:43.599into early 2015 but owwinski reassured

00:41:46.720the fan base that the weight would be

00:41:48.400worth it

00:41:49.200stating that it was a really tough

00:41:51.119decision to push back the witcher 3

00:41:53.200but gamers don't care about buggy games

00:41:55.119shipped on time

00:41:56.720taking a firm stance against rushing out

00:41:58.560games before they're finished

00:42:00.560finally after years of wild anticipation

00:42:03.280and several

00:42:04.000heartbreaking delays the game was ready

00:42:06.319and cd projekt red unleashed the witcher

00:42:08.4803 wild hunt for the pc

00:42:10.480playstation 4 and xbox one in may of

00:42:14.8392015.

00:42:16.480the witcher 3 is the conclusion to the

00:42:18.240tale of the legendary white wolf of

00:42:19.839rivia

00:42:20.800gelt having finally recovered his memory

00:42:22.880by the end of the witcher 2

00:42:24.240has now made it his sole mission to

00:42:25.920locate his adopted daughter siri

00:42:28.000who helped to rescue him from certain

00:42:29.440death prior to the events of the first

00:42:31.040game

00:42:32.560siri a young princess turned witcher in

00:42:35.040training possesses an extraordinary

00:42:36.960amount of power

00:42:38.000and plays a pivotal role throughout the

00:42:39.599course of the books

00:42:41.040and with geralt now finally remembering

00:42:42.960that he's been bonded to her through

00:42:44.480destiny

00:42:45.200he sets off to find her and bring her

00:42:46.960home to kiera morin

00:42:48.960but geralt isn't the only one tracking

00:42:50.720her down as a group of spectral riders

00:42:52.960known as the wild hunt

00:42:54.160are also on the prowl for the lady of

00:42:55.760time and space and intend to use her

00:42:57.760power to open an interdimensional portal

00:42:59.920and take over the world

00:43:01.440as always geralt's journey is

00:43:03.280complicated further as the weakened

00:43:05.119northern realms are now being invaded by

00:43:07.040the nilfgaardian empire

00:43:08.560and the racial unrest in the world's

00:43:10.160largest city of novograd has reached a

00:43:12.000breaking point

00:43:13.119with the events at loch mauin

00:43:14.720encouraging even stronger distrust of

00:43:16.640the sorceresses living among them

00:43:19.040it's the most expansive and story rich

00:43:20.880entry in the witcher trilogy

00:43:22.400and features an unprecedented amount of

00:43:24.319characters to interact with

00:43:25.680including all the fan favorites some

00:43:27.599newcomers and even a few classics

00:43:29.839finally making their video game debut

00:43:32.079like geralt's original main love

00:43:33.680interest yennefer and the emperor of

00:43:35.920nilfgaard amir

00:43:37.359the witcher 3 also continues to build

00:43:39.040upon the series's popular branching

00:43:40.640narrative design

00:43:41.760adding in even more dynamic choices that

00:43:43.599will not only impact how characters

00:43:45.280react to the player

00:43:46.560but even transform the game world itself

00:43:49.200with the consequences of the players

00:43:50.720choices gradually becoming more apparent

00:43:52.560with each passing day

00:43:54.560but one of the witcher 3's strongest

00:43:56.000qualities is in how it handles each

00:43:57.839individual quest

00:43:59.200to avoid what cd projekt considered to

00:44:01.440be pitfalls of games like skyrim

00:44:03.520they specifically focus on enriching all

00:44:05.520the game's quests

00:44:06.640ensuring that every seemingly mindless

00:44:08.640chore contract and objective

00:44:10.720offered something worthwhile to the

00:44:12.319player from the rewards given to the

00:44:14.240player for completing them

00:44:15.440to the actual value in the story this

00:44:18.640ensures that every npc is worth talking

00:44:20.960to

00:44:21.599as they could potentially offer their

00:44:23.200own unique adventure to experience

00:44:25.280often far removed from the main plot and

00:44:27.920this aspect is crucial in providing that

00:44:30.079quintessential

00:44:31.040monster hunter for hire feel something

00:44:33.200that past games may have attempted but

00:44:35.200the witcher 3

00:44:36.079excels at

00:44:42.079so what exactly was change that allows

00:44:44.240this new game to more properly realize

00:44:46.000the atmosphere sapowski was trying to

00:44:47.599convey

00:44:48.800mostly it's the new open world

00:44:50.640environments

00:44:51.839while the witcher 1 and to some extent

00:44:53.680the witcher 2 offered more open-ended

00:44:55.760areas to explore

00:44:56.960they were still limited frequently by

00:44:58.560load screens and a severe lack of

00:45:00.400variety

00:45:01.440players would spend more than half the

00:45:03.040game running back and forth across city

00:45:04.880streets helping the village people out

00:45:06.560with their various murder mysteries

00:45:08.400but witchers are more accustomed to

00:45:10.079being out in the wilderness

00:45:11.520roaming from town to town taking on

00:45:13.520contracts for coin and meditating out in

00:45:15.359the woods

00:45:16.160and with the new focus on wide open

00:45:17.920spaces the witcher 3 fits perfectly into

00:45:20.240this fantasy

00:45:21.440the game starts players off in a small

00:45:23.119rural community called white orchard

00:45:25.040where a large griffin serves to level

00:45:26.800gate players as they learn the ropes of

00:45:28.319the game's many mechanics

00:45:29.680but upon arriving in velen the game

00:45:31.680opens up considerably

00:45:33.119with vast country size composed of

00:45:34.880marshlands rolling wheat fields

00:45:36.720and dense medieval cities what's more

00:45:40.000players are not given any explicit

00:45:42.000instruction into where they're supposed

00:45:43.440to go

00:45:44.319with only some basic suggestions on

00:45:46.240where they can start their search for

00:45:47.599siri

00:45:48.400what's more these beautiful visas aren't

00:45:50.480just for show

00:45:51.760every inch of the game's environments

00:45:53.280feel alive with an evolved version of

00:45:55.520the great ai tech from previous games

00:45:57.440now being applied to things like

00:45:58.880creatures and monsters and a more

00:46:00.800advanced dynamic time of day and weather

00:46:02.800system

00:46:03.359that controls the cloud patterns wind

00:46:05.280speed and even the lunar cycle

00:46:08.079to help traverse these wide reaching new

00:46:10.000lands the witcher 3 adds in a bunch of

00:46:12.000new methods for traversal

00:46:13.599chief among them being geralt's trusty

00:46:15.520steed roach

00:46:16.800who can be called upon at a moment's

00:46:18.319notice by whistling roach can even be

00:46:20.400equipped with saddlebags to expand the

00:46:21.920player's inventory

00:46:23.040a saddle to increase your stamina

00:46:25.119winders to keep her from getting scared

00:46:27.280and even trophies from slain monsters to

00:46:29.760show off a recent victory

00:46:32.319when faced with oceans impassable by

00:46:34.560horseback

00:46:35.520girls can either swim or commandeer

00:46:37.599small sailboats

00:46:38.800which become even more important when

00:46:40.560traversing across the isles of skelega

00:46:42.720there's even a new fast travel mechanic

00:46:44.800allowing players to interact with road

00:46:46.400signs and instantly teleport to a

00:46:48.160previously discovered location

00:46:50.160these locations especially the bigger

00:46:52.000villages and towns offer a wide range of

00:46:54.319activities to experience

00:46:56.079from drinking to fight clubs to sex and

00:46:58.400card games

00:46:59.200there's a lot to see and do but probably

00:47:01.440one of the most exciting activities

00:47:03.200has to be the refined monster hunting

00:47:05.280contracts

00:47:06.800these contracts while present in the

00:47:08.560past two games are much more expansive

00:47:10.720this time around

00:47:11.920letting players immerse themselves in

00:47:13.440the fantasy of hunting down a dangerous

00:47:15.440mythological beast

00:47:16.800typically when a player finds a notice

00:47:18.640board posting for a monster

00:47:20.160there's some vague hint about what could

00:47:22.240be causing the commotion

00:47:23.599like a rough description of the creature

00:47:25.119from a witness and it's up to the player

00:47:27.119to uncover the truth

00:47:28.559using their new witcher senses to

00:47:30.240observe crime scenes and gather clues

00:47:32.640and then cross-checking those clues with

00:47:34.240information in the bestiary

00:47:36.079after identifying the creature the

00:47:37.680player can then prepare for battle

00:47:39.119and craft the necessary potions and oils

00:47:41.119prior to luring it in

00:47:42.480it's an extremely well done part of the

00:47:44.160game and allows players to really

00:47:45.839familiarize themselves with the

00:47:47.200different enemies that the game has to

00:47:48.480offer

00:47:49.839and provides a nice break from having to

00:47:51.440find frying pans for old ladies

00:47:53.680another great new activity is treasure

00:47:55.520hunting more specifically

00:47:57.280hunting down the diagrams to the rare

00:47:59.280and powerful witcher armor

00:48:01.440these diagrams are hidden all over the

00:48:03.359game and are required in order to craft

00:48:05.359some of the coolest looking armor sets

00:48:07.680though it's no easy task as they're

00:48:09.920sometimes guarded by some powerful

00:48:11.520enemies

00:48:12.480and will require a significant amount of

00:48:14.240rare resources to craft

00:48:15.760and that's assuming that the player

00:48:17.119manages to successfully find the right

00:48:18.800armorer and blacksmith

00:48:20.000to take on the job finally there's gwent

00:48:22.800gwenz is a card game

00:48:24.319based heavily on the many characters and

00:48:26.000creatures of the witcher's lore

00:48:27.920the rules are simple players take turns

00:48:30.000placing down cards to increase their

00:48:31.440point total

00:48:32.240and the player with the most points at

00:48:33.599the end of a round wins

00:48:35.760the catch is that players are only given

00:48:37.680a total of 10 cards by default to use

00:48:39.680throughout the entire game

00:48:41.520so they need to carefully choose when to

00:48:43.280play certain cards to maximize their

00:48:44.960score and best their opponent

00:48:46.800it can get very complex especially when

00:48:49.040you start getting into talking about the

00:48:50.559different deck types

00:48:51.680weather cards and the like but the

00:48:54.000general takeaway here is that the

00:48:55.440minigame is so addictive that it's easy

00:48:57.440to get lost challenging every barkeep

00:48:59.280across the game world and completely

00:49:00.960neglecting your lost destiny daughter

00:49:03.440in fact the minigame turned out to be so

00:49:05.520popular among fans that cd projekt even

00:49:07.839sold real card decks for fans to enjoy

00:49:09.839at first

00:49:10.480and would later develop a standalone

00:49:12.240gwent game with a few tweaks to make it

00:49:14.240more competitive

00:49:15.599with gwent treasure hunting lots of

00:49:17.760different quest lines and monster

00:49:19.359contracts

00:49:20.079there's a lot to see and do throughout

00:49:21.760the witcher 3's wide reaching landmasses

00:49:24.400but the big map isn't the only thing

00:49:26.240that's changed the witcher 3 also sees

00:49:28.480some important updates to its combat

00:49:30.079mechanics as well

00:49:32.000using the witcher 2 as a jumping off

00:49:33.760point the witcher 3's combat is built to

00:49:35.760be more streamlined and fluid

00:49:37.760with a wider camera view and more

00:49:39.680animations built in to help geralt

00:49:41.200attack enemies around him regardless of

00:49:42.880his starting position

00:49:46.160the controls remain mostly the same with

00:49:48.319designated keys for light attacks heavy

00:49:50.480attacks and blocking

00:49:51.839but pairing has been reworked with more

00:49:53.760of a risk reward mentality

00:49:56.720requiring players to tap the block key

00:49:58.559right as an enemy's health bar glows to

00:50:00.480perform a counter attack

00:50:05.920other changes include faster dodging a

00:50:08.240more responsive target system

00:50:10.240and the removal of cinematic takedowns

00:50:12.559opting for

00:50:13.280integrated critical kills instead

00:50:17.920the game's science have also seen

00:50:19.280another update this time

00:50:21.040reconfiguring the urine sign to create

00:50:22.960an area of effect

00:50:24.160that slows down hostiles caught within

00:50:29.850[Applause]

00:50:31.359additionally the axi sign no longer

00:50:33.760turns enemies against each other by

00:50:35.440default

00:50:36.400and instead is used to stun enemies

00:50:39.599signs can also be upgraded to behave

00:50:41.280completely differently like

00:50:42.880turning igni into a sort of flamethrower

00:50:44.960letting players fine-tune them to fit

00:50:46.800their playstyle

00:50:48.319the game's alchemy system was also

00:50:50.079changed making it so potions only need

00:50:52.319to be crafted once and

00:50:54.400simply meditating will automatically use

00:50:56.400common resources to refill any

00:50:58.240previously crafted potions or oils

00:51:00.880this encourages players to experiment

00:51:02.559more with the many different potions and

00:51:04.240oils found in the game

00:51:05.520an aspect of the past two games that

00:51:07.599while useful on occasion

00:51:09.119was easy to overlook as always players

00:51:12.000can expect a robust list of player

00:51:13.760upgrades as well

00:51:14.960with four distinct categories based on

00:51:17.119geralt's various core abilities

00:51:19.599but instead of allowing players to use

00:51:21.520all these upgrades at once

00:51:22.880the witcher 3 forces players to choose

00:51:24.800only a few

00:51:26.000and stacking similar colored upgrades

00:51:28.319together in the same column will help to

00:51:30.079boost your effectiveness

00:51:31.280alongside a similar system for the

00:51:33.040mutagens

00:51:34.960other changes introduced in the game

00:51:36.559include simplified inventory screens

00:51:38.720weapon and armor durability a new

00:51:41.119resource crafting menu

00:51:42.880and new player gadgets like a crossbow

00:51:45.599to drop

00:51:46.160flying monsters out of the sky

00:51:50.640overall the witcher 3 goes well out of

00:51:52.880its way to deliver the absolute

00:51:54.559ultimate witcher experience this is a

00:51:57.119game that was very much made for

00:51:58.960fans by fans and that dedication quickly

00:52:02.079paid off

00:52:03.119as the game achieved incredibly high

00:52:04.720reviews from almost every single major

00:52:06.880outlet

00:52:07.839with some even claiming it to be one of

00:52:09.760the greatest video games of all time

00:52:12.400the game went on to win many game of the

00:52:14.319year awards in 2015

00:52:16.400beating out other high-profile titles

00:52:18.079from that year including bloodborne

00:52:19.839fallout 4 and metal gear solid 5. sales

00:52:22.960also far exceeded expectations

00:52:25.200with well over 1.5 million pre-orders

00:52:27.839placed before the game was even finished

00:52:30.000and upwards of over 30 million units

00:52:32.079having been sold up to this date

00:52:36.160but before players could even digest it

00:52:38.319all cd projekt red were already hard at

00:52:40.640work adding more content to the game

00:52:42.880including constant technical

00:52:44.480improvements bug fixes

00:52:46.240and a long list of new features

00:52:48.640including the return of the barbershop

00:52:50.240from the witcher 2

00:52:51.440a storage chest to stow excess gear and

00:52:54.319of course

00:52:55.040the first of two planned expansions to

00:52:57.119the game's campaign

00:52:58.720the first expansion titled the hearts of

00:53:00.960stone released back in october of 2015

00:53:04.240and adds a new series of quests to

00:53:05.839experience in the northeastern edge of

00:53:07.680the velen map

00:53:09.200in this quest geralt accepts a contract

00:53:11.200from a noble bin von evereck

00:53:13.119to kill a beast in a nearby sewer system

00:53:15.760but after discovering this to be a trick

00:53:17.680geralt is captured and forced to make a

00:53:19.440deal with a mysterious man

00:53:20.960in exchange for three impossible to

00:53:22.960fulfill wishes

00:53:24.480it's a fantastic addition to the game's

00:53:26.079narrative and even features some nice

00:53:27.920appearances from old classics like the

00:53:29.599medic shawnee but at the same time

00:53:31.440it doesn't add too much new to the game

00:53:33.599either with only a few new enemy types

00:53:36.319and

00:53:36.559a new upgrade system for things like

00:53:38.319swords and armor runes

00:53:39.920about a year later cd projekt red

00:53:42.079released their second

00:53:43.200and final expansion for the witcher 3 an

00:53:45.920expansion

00:53:46.559so big and full of new content that it

00:53:48.720could probably serve as its own

00:53:50.079standalone release

00:53:51.680the expansion titled blood and wine

00:53:53.680follows geralt's journey to the kingdom

00:53:55.119of tucson

00:53:56.000as he investigates a mysterious murder

00:53:57.839mystery

00:53:59.040unlike the first expansion blood and

00:54:00.880wine introduces a

00:54:02.160massive new environment to explore

00:54:04.319complete with a ton of new weapons

00:54:06.240armor some new enemies and most notable

00:54:08.800of all

00:54:09.440a homestead called corvo bianco that

00:54:12.079could be upgraded with new places to

00:54:13.760display weapons

00:54:14.720armor and grow helpful resources it's a

00:54:17.680way more ambitious addition to the game

00:54:19.760and also provides an ultimate conclusion

00:54:21.760to geralt's adventures

00:54:23.440making any future titles starring the

00:54:25.359character even more unlikely

00:54:28.319like with the base game the fan and

00:54:30.000critical reception for these expansions

00:54:31.680was incredibly positive

00:54:33.280with many praising it for its great

00:54:34.960quest design and well-implemented new

00:54:36.880features

00:54:38.079it also set a new precedent for video

00:54:40.160game expansions

00:54:41.599and is the subject of frequent

00:54:43.040comparisons when considering what

00:54:44.640exactly a video game expansion should be

00:54:47.119collectively the witcher 3 is considered

00:54:49.280to be a masterpiece

00:54:51.040cd projects magnum opus and many began

00:54:53.760to recognize the development studio as

00:54:55.359one of the absolute best

00:54:56.799in the entire industry but the sentiment

00:54:59.119would be short-lived

00:55:00.400as the studio finally would part ways

00:55:02.400with their beloved witcher trilogy

00:55:04.400and move on to a completely new ip

00:55:12.720back in 2012 prior to the witcher 3's

00:55:15.440formal announcement

00:55:16.640cd projekt unveiled a brand new passion

00:55:19.040project that for the first time

00:55:20.960was not related to the witcher series at

00:55:22.960all

00:55:24.079it instead was based on an old tabletop

00:55:26.480board game called cyberpunk

00:55:28.559and would offer a new challenge for the

00:55:30.400studio as they attempted to try on a new

00:55:32.480style

00:55:33.119and new perspective the project

00:55:35.920eventually went quiet as hype for the

00:55:37.680witcher 3 began to emerge and boil over

00:55:40.240and as the years went on many feared cd

00:55:42.480projects had thrown the idea out

00:55:44.880but finally in 2018 cyberpunk was back

00:55:47.599in the headlines with a new trailer and

00:55:49.599a follow-up gameplay reveal that

00:55:51.200demonstrated a significant departure

00:55:53.119from their past work

00:55:54.960the game was set to be completely first

00:55:56.960person with an

00:55:58.079increased focus on using firearms and

00:56:00.000special hacking abilities and the

00:56:02.079narrative would be structured

00:56:03.359even more strongly around player choice

00:56:05.359ensuring that no two players had the

00:56:07.200same gameplay experience

00:56:09.359by the time of the reveal the

00:56:10.720development team at cd projekt red

00:56:12.480had been completely engulfed by their

00:56:14.079work on cyberpunk with staff

00:56:16.000size again seeing a huge increase and

00:56:18.720major talent like keanu reeves being

00:56:20.640signed on to play critical roles in the

00:56:22.400campaign

00:56:23.599and after a number of disappointing

00:56:25.359delays cd projekt red

00:56:27.280finally released their fourth and most

00:56:29.520recent game

00:56:30.400cyberpunk 2077 but

00:56:33.520unlike the witcher 3 cyberpunk wasn't

00:56:36.079met with resounding praise

00:56:37.599in fact it was met with a lot of

00:56:39.440controversy with many players on older

00:56:41.680consoles like the ps4

00:56:43.119suffering from an insurmountable amount

00:56:44.960of technical issues

00:56:46.319so despite its positive reviews from

00:56:48.319industry professionals

00:56:49.599cyberpunk had left an unfamiliar stain

00:56:51.839on cd projekt's reputation

00:56:54.000and at least for the next year or so

00:56:56.319fixing the game and cleaning it up will

00:56:58.079likely be

00:56:58.720their bigger focus

00:57:02.000overall the witcher video game franchise

00:57:04.079has underwent an incredible journey

00:57:06.400what started as a niche fantasy story

00:57:08.640from poland has been transformed into

00:57:10.640one of the biggest

00:57:11.599most recognizable role-playing video

00:57:13.359games in recent history

00:57:15.280and it's forever changed the way

00:57:17.119developers look at creating open world

00:57:18.880experiences

00:57:20.720the series is the perfect example of

00:57:22.480both graphical and gameplay evolution

00:57:25.040with the witcher 1 showing what's

00:57:26.799capable when immense passion is met with

00:57:29.040technical and monetary limitation

00:57:31.440the witcher 2 being a sort of

00:57:33.280acknowledgement of poor gameplay

00:57:34.720mechanics and an attempt to fix them

00:57:36.799and the witcher 3 being the ultimate

00:57:38.960refined package

00:57:40.559fully delivering on the promises that

00:57:42.079the studio had always sought to deliver

00:57:44.079the game series has been so successful

00:57:46.000even that netflix has been working on

00:57:47.839their own exclusive television show

00:57:50.079with season 2 set to release sometime

00:57:52.160later this year

00:57:53.280but now with geralt's story having been

00:57:55.520officially concluded in both the games

00:57:57.520and the books what's really left for the

00:57:59.760series other than the show

00:58:01.839there have been some murmurs of a new

00:58:03.520game centered around geralt's

00:58:05.280adopted daughter siri which seems like

00:58:07.440the logical next step considering she

00:58:09.119was playable at some points in the

00:58:10.480witcher 3.

00:58:11.760so it'll be interesting to see how fans

00:58:13.760will react to a witcher game that

00:58:15.359doesn't star its most popular character

00:58:18.319but what do you guys think which witcher

00:58:20.400game was your favorite and where do you

00:58:22.160think the series should go next

00:58:23.920let me know in the comment section if

00:58:25.920these games interest you in any way and

00:58:27.359you want to give them a try

00:58:28.400be sure to check out the links i

00:58:29.599provided in the description if you act

00:58:31.760fast you can get the original witcher

00:58:33.280game completely free through the gog

00:58:35.040galaxy app right

00:58:36.000now consider it a gift for making it

00:58:37.599this far in the video and of course

00:58:39.599don't forget to like and subscribe for

00:58:41.359more videos posted every week

00:58:52.890[Music]

00:59:02.839so

00:59:33.050[Music]

00:59:36.440[Applause]

00:59:37.390[Music]

00:59:47.090[Applause]

00:59:51.680you