Adding the final cutscene in The Witcher "was a mistake," according to the game's lead writer.

Adding the Final Cutscene in The Witcher "Was a Mistake," Says the Game's Lead Writer

All eyes of The Witcher fans are on the upcoming The Witcher IV (and perhaps the third installment due to a DLC that is allegedly in development), but at CD Projekt, they are also busy with the remake of the first The Witcher. Recently, the lead writer of The Witcher, Artur Ganszyniec, completed a playthrough of the original and shared some insider details about the game's ending.

The first The Witcher is about to turn twenty, so a spoiler warning might seem a bit odd. Nevertheless, forewarned is forearmed!

At the end of The Witcher, the player is briefly told about the fate of the main opposing forces — the Scoia'tael and the Order of the Flaming Rose — followed by a short segment about Geralt, which doesn't provide any specifics. According to Ganszyniec, at this point, the writing team wanted to end the game — with an unanswered question and a future without hints. However, the bosses at CD Projekt decided the project needed a final cinematic cutscene.

If we believe the author, the concluding video, in which Geralt comes to collect his reward from King Foltest and then fends off an attack by an assassin witcher, was made at the very end of development. Moreover, the epilogue practically bypassed the writing team, leaving them with no room for maneuver afterward.

Our story group, so to speak, did not participate in writing the script for this animation. We simply overlooked it — and, perhaps, that was a mistake. Because the video tells a completely different story, not the one we had in our pictures for the outro. Geralt is still in Vizima and up to his neck in political intrigue because someone wants to kill Foltest.

As you can see, there is an assassin witcher, and it becomes obvious that the next game will have to develop this storyline. To tell a story about witchers killing kings. That's precisely why the second part turned out so politicized — there was simply no room left to explore Geralt's personality, his family, his past.

Artur Ganszyniec

During the playthrough, which spanned twenty-six parts, the writer shared much more interesting information about the development of the first The Witcher. For example, according to the original concept of CD Projekt RED, Geralt of Rivia was not supposed to be the protagonist — they planned to cast another witcher for that role.

We will be able to dive back into the story of the first The Witcher in the upcoming remake by Fool’s Theory. When it will see the light of day remains a mystery. According to data from the investment company Noble Securities, The Witcher Remake is expected to release only in 2028. The release was delayed by a year because the Fool’s Theory team was pulled into the development of the fourth The Witcher.