If i were to put my opinions into expressions based on interest factor, TW1 would be ''Oh wow", TW2 would be "Hey cool, this is really good actually" and TW3 would be "Holy ---- this looks awesome!"
TW1 appeared without much fanfare and really only achieved success due to word of mouth. It still did quite well considering the time it was released in.
TW2, being the follow up, received a lot more interest because of it, as well as the shockingly good visuals for the time. It also achieved markedly bigger reception mostly because it continued an already engaging character story, though it did not directly connect to the previous game.
TW3, in my personal opinion, because - just like TW2 - is a continuation of what was already popular, it also is getting attention. But for the simple fact that the new buzz word around the campfire is ''open world'' it has become somewhat of a ''Skyrim-killer" with so many people comparing the two games. What i think is also garnering much attention is the fact that CDPR's attitude toward the gamer with the ''risk all'' stance on anti-DRM policies. That coupled with the even better graphics than the previous game by a substantial margin and the developer making their openness to real feedback blatantly obvious has given the developer a ''gamer's developer'' moniker.
For this progressively increasing popularity, makes me think that midnight launches - despite their non-American studio origin - for the game are a real possibility given the numbers. My local EB Games store has informed me that for a midnight launch to happen, there has to be bare minimum 100 pre-orders 2 weeks prior to release for the manager to even consider it. Of course, i have not been able to discern the actual number as it is against policy to divulge that to the public.
