[Poll] The timeline and the main character for the next AAA Witcher game

[Moors-]

Let's discuss your wishes about the main character and the timeframe for the upcoming Witcher RPG.
The upsides and downsides for the possible choices? Should protagonist be a an existing saga's character or a custom character made by the player? Maybe you would like the main character to be a mage, a dwarf, an elf or even a dryad?

I would personally choose the timeline of the books and my own character who would witness famous events and have a chance to influence the outcome of some of them.

 

[Feline_Witcher_]

After TW3 with either custom or default character, but I wouldn't say no to a Vesemir game.

 

[Draconifors]

Either before the books, or after the existing games.

In the former case, either with a young(er) Vesemir or an entirely new character. I also would not be opposed to the player character being a different, existing character.

In the latter case, definitely NOT Ciri. Anyone but her (or Geralt, but that was never going to happen, anyway), really.

 

[Feline_Witcher_]

Either before the books, or after the existing games.

In the former case, either with a young(er) Vesemir or an entirely new character. I also would not be opposed to the player character being a different, existing character.

In the latter case, definitely NOT Ciri. Anyone but her (or Geralt, but that was never going to happen, anyway), really.

I don't see a Ciri game happening either, gameplay without potions is a no-no

 

[John_Russell]

I'm not the least bit interested in a "create your own character" Witcher game because that's never been what a Witcher game has been about ..... What makes the Witcher series really click is all the pre-defined characters and the stories you can create around them that have more depth than most games with a create your own character narrative ..... Games like Skyrim can be fun but the story is about as deep as a mud puddle

 

[devivre]

I wouldn't mind a game with Ciri but it would be a very different type of game due to her abilities. But if there was an Elder Blood series with lots of different worlds, that could be fun.

A story many many years after the events of TW3 could be interesting (that way some of the choices could have at least a very very minor impact) but I also don't mind a story shortly before the events of TW1. We'll see.

 

[0248991]

Hey,
I am all in for any of them.

I was thinking about what if the game was set in another world (e.g. with travelling Ciri as the main character), thought since there was a witcher school medallion on the poster, I guess it's safe to assume it's going to take place in the same one.

Also, I would prefer the main character to be (mostly) made by CDPR; and the game to not have a (CP77 powerful) character editor.

I would like CDPR to try to make realistically-looking graphics, even for the cost of image quality in general. Something like these:

I think that e.g. the snowstorm may be a good example of how to mask possible imperfections - with opaque snow clouds flowing through - while making the scene more immense...

One more thing - I think that one of the most disturbing things about graphics nowadays is that they often look kinda cartoonish - stuff like human skin and hair, water, maybe some (parts of) clothes, colourful sunsets, some particle effects,... - what about making everything looking realistic...somehow?

 

[CiriusBlack]

I probably wouldn't want to see anything related to current well known characters. I love the games and all the characters in it, but that story has already been told. Time for new ones. A small mention somewhere or some other kind of Easter egg would be fine, but nothing more.

Other than that I'm pretty open minded as long as the world keeps it's witchery feeling, humor, great characters and amazing stories.

 

[Feline_Witcher_]

Know what? I know it won't happen but fuck it, I want that Ciri game. Always wanted to go whoring as Ciri. We need a girl/girl Witcher game

 

[luviho]

I don't think the story can be told well if the character is created by the player.
And I would not want to see Ciri in the lead role. Seriously, the third time to finish the story?
I think it would be good if we played some new personality. Old heroes, one could see as a cameo but no more

 

[kxcountry]

My thoughts - follow up on the Unseen Elder in B&W and have another Conjunction of the Spheres. Or enough of an opening to at least get some new monsters/threats (Vampires wanting to herd up humans, a few vampires siding against them? Give the Witchers a way to kill them, meaning the higher vampires?), but set it 25, 50, maybe 100 or 200 years after TW3. Then:

- Either have one of the Witcher schools still functioning enough to still have Witchers around or improve the odds/methods of the Trial of the Grasses.
- A brand new Witcher is the way to go. Any existing Witcher still alive, you can then at least interact with. This should at least partly satisfy everyone.
- Setting it a few years after TW3 gets around a few choices you as the player might’ve made, and eliminated enough of the characters so that you still have the ones we’ve come to know and love, but they aren’t going to hamstring the story. Depending on when you set it, the less likely you’ll see either Vime Vivaldi, Phillipa Eilhart (which brings up questions about the books - I’d keep the status quo of what they’ve done so far), or Djikstra/Roche/Radovid. At the very least, Regis will still be around.
- Which is the problem if it’s set in the past or between the games. Having Vesemir, Keyon, Ciri, or Berengor meet Regis…probably wouldn’t happen. Or a host of other characters. You’ll have to make sure not to interfere with anything set in stone and still manage to have an exciting, legendary story that somehow never gets brought up.
- These gaps in time will allow new quests to be fulfilled by answering mysteries, finding kids of the people from the last game (Cerys and Svanrige had a kid? Who knows?) that grew up to be heroes/villains, and new weapons or technology to be advanced.

 

[Rufio]

At a high level, I think exploring these areas through TV series or games could be interesting:
- More context around Eredin's motivations for pursuing Ciri
- Eredin's rise to power as King of the Wild Hunt
- After Witcher 3, what happens with Nilfgaard
- After Witcher 3. do elves reclaim land for themselves at any point

I think it would be interesting to see a prequel giving context to Eredin's rise / formation in the Wild Hunt as we know it. This could potentially happen while watching the first Witcher school be built, using Avallac'h and his developing capabilities as a link between Aen Elle and the primary continent where the Witcher 1-3 takes place.

Through that, it could be established that Eredin's motives to capture Ciri were actually aligned to the greater good for both worlds (ex: Nilfgaard ends up repeating the 'Xin'trea golden empire' theme from Blood Origin after the Witcher 3 and the Wild Hunt's only chance of stopping it was to capture Ciri and do something...), and his failure in Witcher 3 ends up having dire consequences for the Witcher universe.

So as for next game protagonists:

• I could see a prequel game with Eredin, Avallac'h, or a Witcher being viable.
• Probably more fluid but expensive; a TV series following Avallac'h and Eredin (after Blood Origin) and the next game starting with a Witcher (new Witcher or Ciri) following the events of the Witcher 3, but with the context that Eredin wasn't the antagonist we thought and now we see the repercussions of Eredin's failure.
• Third option if a series isn't viable and we can't justify a prequel game: the next game leads with a Witcher as stated above but significantly dives into Aen Elle and the Wild Hunt's history, outlining how Eredin rose to power in the Wild Hunt (possibly in character swaps similar to the Witcher 3 swaps to Ciri, ideally with more staying power throughout the game), showing that his intentions were aligned to the greater good. The consequences of his failures lay out the main challenges for the next few games.

 

[devivre]

So as for next game protagonists:

• I could see a prequel game with Eredin, Avallac'h, or a Witcher being viable.
• Probably more fluid but expensive; a TV series following Avallac'h and Eredin (after Blood Origin) and the next game starting with a Witcher (new Witcher or Ciri) following the events of the Witcher 3, but with the context that Eredin wasn't the antagonist we thought and now we see the repercussions of Eredin's failure.

For anything that happened before the start of the Trilogy, it might be best to read the books. Or wait for the final season of the Netflix series. Other than that, I doubt there’s going to be another Witcher live action series anytime soon. Too much drama surrounding the current one. However, I would not mind an animation series but that’s a different question for the people who actually own the tv-rights.

So far the games have stayed in their own timeline (after the books) which also made their stories more flexible for different story outcomes and choices. Most likely it is going to be easier to keep it like that.

I would totally welcome a return of Avallac‘h - but only after the events of the third game. And yes, it would be nice to see what happened with Nilfgaard and the others. But - unless CDPR decides for a canon ending - I guess the only way to stay true to all possible outcomes is to tell a new story a few decades after the events of the third game. But that’s all just speculation.