The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of those games that will be remembered for decades to come. Just as it once happened, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas or Need for Speed Underground 2 made a huge sensation, now it makes no sense to call yourself a real player if you haven’t spent a few hours with Geralt of Rivia on the road.
CDPR’s Witcher series is a phenomenon on a global scale and I am happy to be mentored by Polish developers. Other house bands, who saw the success of their countrymen, certainly received some kind of “reinforcement” that allowed them to believe that they would one day create something like the bestselling The Witcher.
There is still no heir, but it is worth noting that in recent years we have received a really respectable and at the same time demanding Ghostrunner, strategic Frostpunk or story-driven Observer. Plus, the Poles have enriched the last year thanks to The Medium or Outriders co-op atmosphere, so in the end you can’t complain, especially about the lack of diversity.
Reloading and (not yet) shooting
However, let’s leave the past behind and consider a full continuation of The Witcher 3. This has not been officially announced yet, but in my opinion it is only a matter of time. According to the latest data provided by the head of CD Projekt, CD Projekt RED currently employs 660 developers, and only a third of them are developing updates and the next generation release of Cyberpunk 2077.
It can be presumed that the rest of the creators, which should be around 440 (in anticipation of questions, the next-generation release of The Witcher 3 is being moderated by an outside team from Saber Interactive, who has also brought Geralt’s adventure to the Nintendo Switch), are led by screenwriters and designers. Assignments and artists, after the premiere of the V adventure, they have to modify the scenario of a new project, prepare task blueprints, create character models or design sites that we can visit in a few years.
These words can be confirmed by job postings on the CD Projekt RED website. Already in the first tab, we can see that the Poles are looking for talented creators who want to create heroes or an environment for an unreleased game. As if that wasn’t enough, Warsaw residents have acquired two studios in recent months that will help create new productions.
in small steps
Sooner or later The Witcher 4 will appear on our devices, but I was annoyed by the statement – as of November of this year – by Adam Kiciński, head of CD Projekt, about network elements that will be gradually implemented in the Wiedźmin and Cyberpunk tags:
“We plan to gradually add multiplayer functionality to both games in the future, including Cyberpunk. We are not revealing which franchise will get the first network elements, but the first try will be something we can learn from and then add more and more, so step by step we want to open the door to Multiplayer and gradually adding some network activities.”
The original developers are still creating single-player experiences, because the team is mainly concerned with “AAA RPGs with a single-player story”, and online units should be treated as an add-on:
“Let’s underline it here, CD Projekt Red makes AAA RPGs with a single player story – that doesn’t change. What has changed is our long-term approach to the Internet. By that we mean ensuring we are properly prepared to implement online elements in our games where they make sense. We don’t want to overdo it and lose sight of it.” Single player DNA. We want to take deliberate steps to build powerful online opportunities. We are building online technology that can be seamlessly integrated into the development of our future games. This technology will power the online components we choose to integrate into our games.”
Reading this statement, the situation with Cyberpunk 2077 Multiplayer comes to mind, which was supposed to be a separate, large and, above all, a separate production, that is, it does not require the basic version of the game. Unfortunately, none of the recipients had even had a chance to find out what the title was really supposed to be – or something similar in size to GTA Online, or a regular PvP shooter based on the systems and mechanics known from the mercenary adventure called V if someone hadn’t revealed who CDPR The secret is in the future, we’ll never know.
In the end, it turned out well, because throwing in deep water could spill a CD Projekt RED, as well as an independent team working on the CP2077 network, with more wash buckets. It is best to start by taking small steps that gradually bring you closer to success or away from it – depending on how the players receive the ideas in the field.
What first?
As far as I can imagine the network elements of Cyberpunk 2077 (story missions conducted in co-op mode or regular optional bloody skirmishes between players on the streets of Night City look interesting), with the next adventure in the fantasy world created by Andrzej Sapkowski, not so much .
The phrases The Witcher and Multiplayer don’t go hand in hand, and assuming The Witcher 4 will be its most important variation of the bestselling “three”, I can’t imagine where network stuff could be stuffed into this game. Because it’s definitely not into co-op missions or PvP battles. I have a feeling that if the first scenario is selected, the overall quality of the assignments may be affected. After all, the Poles will have to create very uncomplicated contracts, in addition, they are short (so that people do not leave the session for various reasons).
On the other hand, a simple PvP or PvE game would not be encouraging in my opinion. Network battles with other players against other recipients or AI-controlled monsters created in individual arenas can lead to excessive consumption of customers, because in this case it would be appropriate to take care of the systems (progression, character classes, equipment stores and more) known to MMORPG fans . And that wouldn’t keep up with what network-first elements in future RED games are supposed to be.
Intense PvP/PvE missions conducted with random players or friends will likely not happen, and if The Witcher 4 is going to receive something related to online fun, these should be casual games that add up after the first show, and in no way affect the game’s story. Tasks. We communicate with other players, find ourselves in a separate arena, fight various monsters, complete the goals set by the creators. A bit of a challenge, and for someone who can’t imagine life without killing monsters on the road every day, there’s an extra activity.
I can’t wait to learn more about how the Poles handle the network elements discussed above on individual projects. In the end, something interesting might come out of this, but as I mentioned in the title, I can’t imagine that the Witcher series will offer anything interesting in terms of multiplayer. Such solutions should be packed into Cyberpunk, which is ideally suited for the game in cooperation with other players.
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