The Witcher Remake Project Worries the Story Designer

As The Witcher Remake prepares to reinterpret the original game released in 2007 with modern technologies, new discussions have begun about the scope of the project. Artur Ganszyniec, one of the lead story designers of the original game, believes that transforming the game into a completely open world, similar to The Witcher 3, could create serious design problems. According to the experienced developer, such a change could cause the remake to exceed its limits and become a much larger project.

The Witcher Remake Could Become Open World and Expand in Scope

Ganszyniec reminded that the first The Witcher was prepared with a very limited budget and technical resources. He stated that the development team constantly struggled with the Aurora game engine, and likened the development process in some aspects to an extensive modding project. Despite this, he noted that the game gained its own unique structure thanks to its dark atmosphere, controlled sections, and scenes triggered at specific points.

According to the former designer, completely opening up the maps would necessitate filling empty spaces with new quests and events. This would both alter the pace of the story and significantly increase development costs. In the first game, the player’s location was largely known, making it easy to plan for characters like Alvin to appear at specific moments. Controlling the same scenes in an open-world setting could be much more complex.

Ganszyniec specifically cited the area around Lake Vizima in Chapter 5 as an example. He stated that if the map were completely open, players could board a boat and go directly to the old mansion, disrupting the quest sequence. While this freedom might seem exciting to the player, he emphasized that it would mean numerous new scenarios and potential bugs for the design team.

However, Ganszyniec believes some fundamental changes are necessary for The Witcher Remake. He suggests revamping the old combat system, improving level designs, and removing the system that rewards romantic relationships with cards. He also noted that the main storyline where Geralt loses his memory could be preserved, arguing that this structure would allow new players to more easily enter the universe.

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