The Witcher 3: Remake has launched on consoles and PC, featuring adjustments to graphics, combat, and the skill tree. Recently, foreign media outlet VGC interviewed Paweł Sasko, Senior Designer at CDPR, who discussed the team's thought process in determining the direction for The Witcher 3: Remake. He stated that the team reviewed the actual gameplay performance of The Witcher 3, gathered common complaints from players and media, and identified elements that had become outdated over time.
"The story remains compelling, the narrative experience is still outstanding, and the character development is impressive. However, when it comes to gameplay, it's clearly the weakest aspect of this title." Sasko stated that media reviews and player feedback have reached a consensus: nearly everyone agrees that combat is The Witcher 3's biggest shortcoming.
Therefore, CDPR didn't limit the remake to just graphical upgrades; they implemented several modernization improvements, including a completely overhauled combat system and skill tree, new animations and finishers, and optimized exploration and movement mechanics. He revealed that the team drew heavily on the development experience gained from Cyberpunk 2077 version 2.0, but he is uncertain whether The Witcher 3 Remake will achieve the same transformative experience as the 2.0 update.
"The underlying architectures of the two games are quite different. Comparing it to Cyberpunk 2077 version 2.0 makes sense, but I'm not sure if it will have the same impact. This is especially evident in the overhaul of the skill tree. Cyberpunk 2077 was designed from the start with diverse playstyles and corresponding foundational frameworks in mind. In contrast, The Witcher 3 already had an established system in place."
"In The Witcher's story, players control Geralt, a character with a fixed image and established combat style. Therefore, the overhaul of the skill tree must remain within this overarching premise. While comparisons can be made, they won't result in changes of the same magnitude, due to the fundamental differences in their base designs. Of course, you can still create vastly different versions of Geralt. Our design philosophy aligns with version 2.0: we aim to increase the proportion of active skills and reduce the dominance of passive talents, which was a pain point in the old system."
Sasko mentioned that the concept for The Witcher 3: Remake originally originated during the next-gen update phase in 2022. At that time, developers internally discussed which parts of the game had become "rusty and outdated." This internal discussion indirectly led to the creation of the new DLC, Old Song, which is being developed by Fool’s Theory studio and is scheduled for release next year. Developers felt that past stories did not fully explore the friendship between Geralt and Dandelion, and they hope to present a lesser-seen side of Dandelion in the new DLC.
Players can start Old Song after completing the main storyline, without needing to finish the previous DLCs first. Developers stated that whether or not players have completed the second DLC will be reflected in the dialogue and consequences of the new story.