- The Witcher 3, released nine years ago, is still the benchmark for other open-world RPGs to measure up to.
- The success of The Witcher 3 led to the development of two acclaimed expansions.
- With The Witcher 4 currently in development, the legacy of Geralt and the Witcher series is set to continue.
Nine years ago today, CD Projekt Red launched The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and the open-world RPG landscape hasn’t been the same since. To this day, Geralt of Rivia’s epic adventure continues to attract a massive following, regularly exceeding 12,000 concurrent players on Steam.
The game’s long-lasting appeal says a lot about its excellence and how it has influenced players and the gaming world.
Why it matters: With over 50 million lifetime sales, The Witcher 3 is considered one of the best games of all time.
The Witcher 3 set a high standard for open-world RPGs, making it tough for other games to measure up. Its branched narrative, engaging quests, and mindblowing standalone DLCs still wow players almost ten years later.
Every corner of Novigrad’s busy streets to Velen’s creepy swamps is brimming with life and detail. The developers focused on making a world that feels both authentic and magical.
Although The Witcher 3 combat didn’t reinvent the wheel, it’s dependable and enjoyable. There is a mix of weapons, spells, and strategies, giving players flexibility in fights. Plus, there’s a choice of difficulty levels, so everyone, from casual players to hardcore gamers, can find their perfect challenge.
The quest design in The Witcher 3 has been praised for its depth and how the choices shape the narrative. Whether it’s a main quest or a side one, players face tough decisions and moral grey areas that can have big repercussions.
CD Projekt Red was not messing about when it came to the game’s writing and quest design. The Polish studio rejected 90% of the game’s quest ideas, with the main reason for its quality being its selective approach to accepting pitches. That’s why quests like Bloody Baron’s Arc remain among video games’ best questlines.
Geralt, Yennefer, Triss, and Ciri have become iconic in the gaming community. Their detailed personalities and complex relationships deepen the story. Plus, the voice acting and dialogue are top-notch, pulling players even deeper into the game’s universe.
The Witcher 3 remains incredibly popular, seen in both its player base and the heaps of awards it’s won. With over 260 Game of the Year awards under its belt, it’s firmly established as one of the all-time best games.
The game’s success led to two amazing expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, hailed as two of the best in history.
Nine years since its release, The Witcher 3 still holds its ground with a strong legacy. It’s exciting to know that CD Projekt Red is already deep into the development of The Witcher 4.
Regardless, it’s evident that Geralt’s journey is far from over, as the White Wolf is set to make his return in the upcoming Witcher 4.
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