Support NeoGAF

[Exentryk]

For Witcher 4, I feel they won't use any characters currently seen in the 3 games. Completely new set of characters in slightly different time periods and locations perhaps (but same medieval setting). Haven't read the books, but I am guessing there are a lot more characters to tell stories of.

Either way, I'm really excited to see what they do. I've full trust they'll have a predetermined character, and they'll do it all justice.

 

[LiquidSolid]

Ciri is OP as shit.

Witcher: Origins, make-your-own-witcher (women included because they're not officially non-canon), choose a school to start from and work your way up the monster-huntin' ranks.

Wat. Going down the Bioware/Bethesda route of generi-protagonists is the absolute last thing I'd want from CD Projekt Red.

 

[Abilidebob]

Wat. Going down the Bioware/Bethesda route of generi-protagonists is the absolute last thing I'd want from CD Projekt Red.

Isn't Cyberpunk going to have create-your-character stuff?

 

[faridmon]

They should remake the first one. Sadly, it hasn't aged well.

 

[Tovarisc]

So what is Cyberpunk? Will it be, like, the witcher, but cyberpunk? Active combat? Quests and dialogue trees? Open world!?? Will it be the Mass Effect we deserve?! What the hell is this gaaammmeeee!!?

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1196914 is good read, compiled info about CP2077. Quite old stuff because CDPR has talked so little about project, but should give some idea.

CP2077 is build on pen-and-paper RPG Cyberpunk 2020 created by Mike Pondsmith, who is also involved with CP2077 development: http://cyberpunk.net/blog/cyberpunk-2077-mike-pondsmith-about-the-cyberpunk-world/

Do we even know that Cyberpunk will have a proper "create a character"?

Last we heard is that they want to stay as true as possible to CP2020. It means game will have quite deep CC.

 

[aliengmr]

To me, Witcher 3 is the best game I have ever played. It was far better than I could have ever expected.

Having said that, I am in no hurry to play a 4th. I am looking forward to Cyberpunk now.

I mean, I'm going to buy whatever they release, but Witcher 3 and its expansions were so great that I am satisfied if they never revisit it.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Ciri lead game. Don't have to call it number 4, just a spin off.

Spoiler

She straight up says She's been to a place where they use lasers and technology. I think a cameo will definitely happen.

Spoiler

Ciri popping into Cyberpunk 2077 would make me lose my shit

Would be very Planescape'ish

 

[Unreal Champ]

I didn't know they were a public company. I always thought they were private.

 

[MartyStu]

I'd hate to see a character creator. Give me a defined character like Geralt and let me go on an incredible journey with him/her.

I think you lose a huge amount of what made The Witcher so good by making the protagonist a husk the player can inhabit.

Geralt having a rich history and a well-drawn personality of his own outside of the players control made him soooo good.

I agree, but must say that the world is much to interesting too limit our access to it solely through Witchers.

 

[MisterShine]

I sort of disagree with that. The Witcher isn't called The Witcher because it has a Witcher in it, it's called that because it's about Geralt.

True, but that Geralt's story is clearly finished, especially the end of Blood and Wine. However it sold like hotcakes, which means they absolutely need to make another one. Choosing a non-witcher protagonist not only makes the title a bit weird, it would result in a radical shift in gameplay which is just unlikely.

... Vesemir prequel seems the easiest way to go, so that they don't have to choose one of the vastly different W3 endings.

I'm also pretty sure it states in the books that no female ever successfully survived the Witcher mutations, so they are pretty much officially non canon. They could ignore that for the games, as most people won't know that anyway.

1st - Vesemir wouldn't work that well since everyone already knows how it is going to end because of what we know from the main series. He is also one of only a handful of characters who could fill the main character role, and none of them are as interesting/cool as Geralt. Not by a long shot.

2nd - Both Vesemir/Geralt are clear they aren't aware of any women that survived the process, but they also state that each school uses a slightly different mixture so it is possible. Clearly if this is set after W3 we can easily handwave it by saying that School X and School Y figured it out and didn't have enough boy recruits so they started demanding girls too.

Wat. Going down the Bioware/Bethesda route of generi-protagonists is the absolute last thing I'd want from CD Projekt Red.

Yeah god forbid we actually.... roleplay... in our RPGs. That would just be terrible!

 

[HoodWinked]

i'm so damn thirsty for that cyberpunk

 

[dr_rus]

You joke, but W4 will probably be made by their Krakow studio, which was the support studio for W3, although they worked on a lot of stuff so calling them support isn't really fair. IIRC, the biggest part they worked on was the cut Nilfgaardian plague questline involving Iorveth teaming up with the Temerians against a guy called Martin Krafft Ebbing. They were also heavily involved with the Blood & Wine expansion. So if it's up to them, I'd say that the future of the series is in good hands.

Spoiler

Still salty that Iorveth stuff got cut after they promised it would be in. It sounded dope.

I hope this isn't true as in my opinion Blood & Wine was considerably below both the main game and the first expansion in everything, from the story line to the world design.

 

[Tovarisc]

Yeah god forbid we actually.... roleplay... in our RPGs. That would just be terrible!

I take predefined character with strong writing if alternative is empty shell from CC with very bland and weak writing going for character. Bethesda writing is nonexistent and BioWare keeps making these god characters with too little depth. Will be interesting to see how CDPR's writing team handles CP2077.

 

[JustinBB7]

Good news about everything.

Hyped for Cyberpunk.
Already balls deep into Gwent
Rock hard for more Witcher games

Can't wait!

 

[MisterShine]

I take predefined character with strong writing if alternative is empty shell from CC with very bland and weak writing going for character. Bethesda writing is nonexistent and BioWare keeps making these god characters with too little depth. Will be interesting to see how CDPR's writing team handles CP2077.

There's no reason at all to believe that will be the case. Many many many RPGs have created characters and have good or better writing.

 

[LiquidSolid]

Last we heard is that they want to stay as true as possible to CP2020. It means game will have quite deep CC.

Well that's disappointing to hear.

Yeah god forbid we actually.... roleplay... in our RPGs. That would just be terrible!

The fuck is this? So based on your brilliant logic, I guess Witcher 3 had no roleplaying?

Custom characters != role playing.

 

[Exentryk]

Yeah god forbid we actually.... roleplay... in our RPGs. That would just be terrible!

 

[JoeBoy101]

Witcher: Origins, make-your-own-witcher (women included because they're not officially non-canon), choose a school to start from and work your way up the monster-huntin' ranks.

THAT... is not a bad idea...

Would be interested.

 

[J_Viper]

Anyway, Geralt is one of my favorite characters ever, but it's great they are letting him rest and allowed him to go out on a high note.

W4 focusing on Ciri would be neat.

You joke, but W4 will probably be made by their Krakow studio, which was the support studio for W3, although they worked on a lot of stuff so calling them support isn't really fair. IIRC, the biggest part they worked on was the cut Nilfgaardian plague questline involving Iorveth teaming up with the Temerians against a guy called Martin Krafft Ebbing. They were also heavily involved with the Blood & Wine expansion. So if it's up to them, I'd say that the future of the series is in good hands.

Spoiler

Still salty that Iorveth stuff got cut after they promised it would be in. It sounded dope.

Having Blood and Wine on your resume is one hell of a plus. That's definitely a better starting point than anything Bioware's C-team had done prior to ME:A.

 

[Tyraniboah]

Well that's disappointing to hear.



The fuck is this? So based on your brilliant logic, I guess Witcher 3 had no roleplaying?

Custom characters != role playing.

Also, custom characters != bad writing

I get that people aren't happy with Bioware's recent output and Bethesda's nonexistent writing. Stop directing that at CDPR. We don't have any reason to believe whatever direction they take the script in will be bad.

 

[MisterShine]

...

The fuck is this? So based on your brilliant logic, I guess Witcher 3 had no roleplaying?

Custom characters != role playing.

Witcher 3 is definitely an RPG, you make choices and can specialise through gameplay, but you don't really roleplay Geralt. As I said in my original post, you can be either Geralt who is kind of a dick or Geralt who is a medium sized dick. That's pretty much it. It makes sense for the series but it is what it is.

Having a character creator and more dialogue options (of which W3 almost always only had 2 or 3) would allow for significantly greater roleplaying. You can disagree with that direction for the series to go in, but I meant what I said.

I'm just cautious because there isn't that many showings of good writing for character in the game that has CC for said character. Not saying that CDPR will drop the ball, but it's their first time trying their hand at this approach so interesting to see how it works out.
...

Vampire: The Maquerade Bloodlines
Fallout 1 + 2 + New Vegas
Arcanum
Baldur's Gate
Dragon Age: Origins (I'd argue Inquisition had good roleplaying for the MC at least!)


That's like off the top of my head man!

 

[Eccocid]

Collaborate with From Software and make a new action-rpg Witcher game!

 

[Pewpewlazors99]

They'll make a deal with TellTale to make a episodic series based in The Witcher world.

Spoiler

I hope not.

PLEASE

Spoiler

NO

I really need to finish TW3, but I'm not sure I would be interested in another open-world Witcher. A more linear experience like two might do them well if they are going to make a 4th installment.

 

[Tovarisc]

Also, custom characters != bad writing

I get that people aren't happy with Bioware's recent output and Bethesda's nonexistent writing. Stop directing that at CDPR. We don't have any reason to believe whatever direction they take the script in will be bad.

I'm just cautious because there isn't that many showings of good writing for character in the game that has CC for said character. Not saying that CDPR will drop the ball, but it's their first time trying their hand at this approach so interesting to see how it works out.

Collaborate with From Software and make a new action-rpg Witcher game!

....Why? Because BB got robbed?

 

[boskee]

Let's wait and see how Cyberpunk 2077 turns out. If they can deliver deep, satisfying and cinematic story line in the make-your-own-character sandbox environment, then I'm happy for them to make the next Witcher game in the same manner.

 

[Eccocid]

I'm just cautious because there isn't that many showings of good writing for character in the game that has CC for said character. Not saying that CDPR will drop the ball, but it's their first time trying their hand at this approach so interesting to see how it works out.



....Why? Because BB got robbed?

Nah i loved W3 and spent like hundreds of hours to finish every god damn quest. If they are gonna make a new one in same universe i would prefer a more action orianted game this time.

 

[Nazo]

Kinda bummed we won't probably won't see anything of Cyberpunk until next year...

 

[Souldestroyer Reborn]

I just want a new witches where we play as Ciri ;_;

 

[PFD]

Cyberpunk fall 2018 believe

Also excited to see what's next for The Witcher. Ciri game pls

Reveal E3 2018 release Fall 2018

 

[GTR R35_Supra RZ]

Scorpio+CyberPunk=Threesome.

 

[boskee]

Reveal E3 2018 release Fall 2018

That's my bet too. I think they're past the period where they'd go a whole year without a release, and lets remember that they're supposed to release another smaller title and that second AAA game by 2021, so in my mind the timeline looks, give or take, like this:

2018: Cyberpunk 2077
2019: Cyberpunk 2077 Expansion(s)
2020: smaller game
2021: the second AAA game

 

[LiquidSolid]

Witcher 3 is definitely an RPG, you make choices and can specialise through gameplay, but you don't really roleplay Geralt. As I said in my original post, you can be either Geralt who is kind of a dick or Geralt who is a medium sized dick. That's pretty much it. It makes sense for the series but it is what it is.

You do roleplay Geralt though. The range of possibilities is smaller because he's an actual character, not a generic template, but unless you were completely detached from what was happening in the game, you were still roleplaying as him.

Having a character creator and more dialogue options (of which W3 almost always only had 2 or 3) would allow for significantly greater roleplaying. You can disagree with that direction for the series to go in, but I meant what I said.

Except then the writers are going to have to account for far more possibilities and that's going to impact the amount of time they can put into each branch.

I don't think CD Projekt Red are suddenly going to turn into Bethesda or Bioware but if I'm given a choice, I'd pick Witcher 3's writing over Fallout New Vegas' any day of the week (and I say that as a fan of New Vegas).

 

[boskee]

I don't think CD Projekt Red are suddenly going to turn into Bethesda or Bioware but if I'm given a choice, I'd pick Witcher 3's writing over Fallout New Vegas' any day of the week (and I say that as a fan of New Vegas).

Yeah, CDPR's writers are accomplished authors too. Jakub Szamałek, the principal writer at CDPR is a relatively young, but already accomplished writer. His 2015 book "Reading from the bone" (Czytanie z kości) has won some awards in Poland, including the best Polish crime novel. It really shows.

 

[Hippolnareff]

I really hope these comments don't lead to countless variations on "What do you want out of The Witcher 4?" threads for the next decade.

 

[Fat4all]

CDP is gonna get massive in terms of employee size. They have all the building blocks in place to be the next Ubisoft or sommit.

 

[ZzzZombi]

They're not going to continue the Witcher 1-2-3 series but I bet they'll do something like "... of Witcher" or "..... : The Last Witcher" where you play as Geralt's grandson or something.

Or how about a mid-budget, highly re-playable Monster Hunter kind of game set in Witcher universe where you just want to be the best Witcher and hunt'em all!

 

[YankeeDonB]

I will happily play Cyberpunk. But also, gimme more Witcher!

Yeah, CDPR's writers are accomplished authors too. Jakub Szamałek, the principal writer at CDPR is a relatively young, but already accomplished writer. His 2015 book "Reading from the bone" (Czytanie z kości) has won some awards in Poland, including the best Polish crime novel. It really shows.

I didn't know this but am not at all surprised. Witcher 3's writing is truly top notch. As in, literally, the best in the business.

 

[boskee]

CDP is gonna get massive in terms of employee size. They have all the building blocks in place to be the next Ubisoft or sommit.

Yup. If Gwent and Cyberpunk 2077 succeed, then they'll be massive. Lets hope it wont corrupt them

I didn't know they were a public company. I always thought they were private.

They went public some 8 years ago. They're on the brink of bankruptcy due to the failed port of The Witcher 1, which they outsourced.

I highly recommend "Seeing Red: The story of CD Projekt" by Rob Purchese from Eurogamer. It's a long read, but it's worth it.

It was 2009, two years after the first The Witcher, and the global economic crisis had CD Projekt on its knees. The money from the first game had been burned trying to clear up the mess of The Witcher: White Wolf, the console game that never was. Elsewhere, the publishing-distribution business CD Projekt was founded on had become a black hole, sucking money away, and GOG was barely big enough to sustain itself.

It was the scariest moment in Marcin Iwinski's 20-year career. "The company is my baby, is my first baby," he tells me. "Then there is my daughter and then my son. And I realised that I might lose it."

Rather than hit the ground running after The Witcher, CD Projekt was about to fall flat on its face. "It was looking pretty grim back then. It was very edgy. We had probably a year where we were scraping money to make the payroll at the end of the month."

(...)

Iwinski would go on to help CD Projekt through a complicated but lifesaving reverse takeover which listed the company on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. And three months later investors were lining up. "It's totally against the logic but that's how it works."

 

[HeelPower]

Witcher 4 is a good..like 6 years away.(2 years till cyberpunk releases + 4 years TW4 dev time)

Its super long term.No need to mention it at all.

 

[Xero]

WItcher 4 with the main character as Roche. You follow Roche and Ves as they try to steer Temeria's future via espionage.

 

[boskee]

Witcher 4 is a good..like 6 years away.(2 years till cyberpunk releases + 4 years TW4 dev time)

Its super long term.No need to mention it at all.

If the second game is indeed another Witcher, then we should see it by 2021, as per CDPR's strategy for 2016-2021.

As I wrote in the OP, they're going to develop the second title alongside Cyberpunk 2077. As for the resources to achieve that, well, it's covered in the same strategy:

Near-twofold expansion of the CD PROJEKT RED team. Creation of four individual teams, two of which will be tasked with development of games representing new segments

 

[Neptonic]

I've never played a witcher game and I love CDPR. They seem like a nice, grounded group of people who care about their fans

 

[Jimrpg]

It's obvious isn't it? A trilogy cannot have a fourth part? They're going to do a remake of the first one. I bet tons of people would buy it considering many people jumped in on the third one.

The first one had garbage combat anyway so it's a perfect reason to do the first one again.

 

[Jimrpg]

Yeah, CDPR's writers are accomplished authors too. Jakub Szamałek, the principal writer at CDPR is a relatively young, but already accomplished writer. His 2015 book "Reading from the bone" (Czytanie z kości) has won some awards in Poland, including the best Polish crime novel. It really shows.

That's awesome, no wonder the writing is outstanding.

 

[Zen Aku]

I'd love to see the Witcher series explore a different esthetic, maybe somewhere Asian inspired?

 

[Xero]

I'd love to see the Witcher series explore a different esthetic, maybe somewhere Asian inspired?

I might prefer that to be an all new game. Might not feel very witcher like.

 

[boskee]

I'd love to see the Witcher series explore a different esthetic, maybe somewhere Asian inspired?

I'm not sure if you're joking (hurr durr, Nioh is the asian Witcher) or not, but I will bite:

The Witcher games are based on a series of Polish books, which in turn recycle and reference fairytales and myths from Poland and other European countries. There is a vaguely described land of Zerrikania which sounds like the Ottoman Turkey, but that's about it. CD Projekt would have to completely disregard the source material and invent their own land. It's not going to happen.

 

[OfficerCrunk]

Do you need to play the first 2 witchers to enjoy 3?

Not at all, but buy them anyways on GOG just to give CDPR money.

 

[daffy]

Thread title is exactly why you can't tell gamers anything. No mainline Witcher comment BUT somehow him saying its an important franchise means Witcher 4

I'm not gonna be high and mighty though cause when i saw this:

CEO grinned when asked what the period between the release and announcement of the Cyberpunk 2077's release date will be and declined to answer the question

I was damn near moist

 

[boskee]

Thread title is exactly why you can't tell gamers anything. No mainline Witcher comment BUT somehow him saying its an important franchise means Witcher 4

Perhaps it's my poor translation skills, but the wink wink, nudge nudge in this Q&A session was clear: "We're not going to abandon the Witcher franchise, it's huge, we invested so much into it, we can't say much more because we want to announce it our way"