(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)
Pawel Sasko, the associate director of Cyberpunk 2 and lead quest designer for The Witcher 3, believes that this acclaimed RPG was pivotal in redefining what it means to be a ‘mature game.’ According to Sasko, the evolution wasn’t just about incorporating themes of violence and sex, the developers, driven by their own life experiences, sought deeper narratives.
In an interview with GamesRadar+, Sasko discussed how, back in 2011, with The Witcher 2, mature games were synonymous with aggression and nudity. By 2015, when The Witcher 3 emerged, the landscape had transformed. “It would be incredible to think that Witcher 3 added something to it,” Sasko remarked, hinting at a larger industry-wide maturation.
So, what spurred this change? Sasko suggests it was the developers at CD Projekt Red growing older and outgrowing simpler themes. “As we aged, we sought more meaningful content,” he noted. Developers began forming families and thus craved richer narratives beyond what was appealing in their younger years.
During the development of The Witcher 3, many team members were transitioning into their 30s and 40s, desiring complexity over straightforward action. Even though the studio’s earlier RPGs offered depth, the third installment marked a more deliberate push for narrative richness.
Sasko also pointed out, “I think The Witcher 3 was a part of that process—not the catalyst for change, but a contributor to a broader cultural shift as the medium matured.”
All eyes are now on The Witcher 4 and its ability to further evolve the genre, although CDPR has indicated it’s still “too early to talk about” upcoming releases. Future projects appear committed to eschewing repetitive tasks like fetch quests, drawing inspiration from the fan-favorite elements of Cyberpunk 2077, and focusing on artistic integrity.
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