(Image credit: CDPR)
An impactful E3 demo from 2014 marked a significant turning point for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and developer CD Projekt Red, according to the creators of the beloved game. As the RPG genre’s shining star, The Witcher 3 has now sold over 60 million copies, but once upon a time, CD Projekt Red was a relatively niche studio.
While The Witcher 1 and 2 definitely had strong fanbases with their innovative concepts, it was really The Witcher 3 that established CD Projekt Red as a household name. A key moment in this transformation was the positive reception to a demo at E3, alluring fans of another grand fantasy saga.
Philipp Weber, the narrative director for The Witcher 4, recollected during an interview with GamesRadar+ that the spark began when the trilogy’s demo caught the attention of Skyrim enthusiasts at E3. “There was this feeling that it was going to be bigger,” Weber shared. “Skyrim was the go-to open-world game, and it became noticeable that many who loved Skyrim started paying attention to The Witcher 3. We felt this… big wave touching us, an exciting moment where we knew the general public was starting to notice,” he added.
The rest is history. The Witcher 3 debuted to overwhelming acclaim, earning numerous awards, and almost a decade later, CD Projekt Red revisited it to incorporate mods into consoles—a first for them. As expected, this success is already influencing the direction for The Witcher 4.
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