Source: CD PROJEKT RED via Facebook 

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is considered by many as the best game ever made. It received over 250 Game of the Year awards in 2015, and has been praised for its multi-layered storyline and gameplay, with immensely engaging characters. After the finalization of Geralt of Rivia’s storyline with the Witcher 3 expansion packs Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, CD Projekt RED initially said that the game series would be ending there. But the game was met with such a good reception, the developers may now be tempted to create another instalment in the much-loved franchise.

CD Project RED invest in DLCs

CD Projekt RED are well-known for producing content to please their large fan base. This was highlighted by the highly generous downloadable content for the main game, which served as an antidote to players’ withdrawal symptoms from finishing the epic story in which Geralt battles to rescue Ciri and defeat the Wild Hunt. In addition to that, more recently, the Polish developers treated fans to a standalone version of Gwent, the card game that Geralt played throughout his adventure.

Gwent Turns to Poker for Inspiration 

Gwent was a side game within The Witcher 3 which gave players some respite from the main quest. It was a completely original fantasy card game, which a lot of players found addictive and highly enjoyable. The reason for its success was down to the fact that it took a lot of inspiration from poker, which is played regularly by over 40 million people worldwide – especially its Texas Hold’em variant. Both Gwent and poker require players to bluff, and work out what kind of cards their opponents are holding.

Now that Gwent is a standalone game, there are yet more similarities with poker. Both games can be played on desktop, or on the move from mobile, and with both poker and Gwent, players can challenge opponents online and rise up through the rankings. Like poker, Gwent takes time to master, and when playing online the server matches players with someone of a similar ability level.

An Upcoming Witcher Game?

Recently, rumours have been circulating that CD Projekt RED may be tempted to reignite the Witcher franchise in the future, as they feel that it would be a disservice to fans to put the project to bed. If the game does return, though, it is unlikely to follow the story of Geralt, whose tale was wrapped up at the end of the last game. The universe created by the talented developers has so much potential, and there are plenty of other existing characters that they could choose to use as a central protagonist.

The games company, which has a new title in the pipeline called Cyberpunk 2077, would also have to come up with an enhanced version of Gwent for any new Witcher games, or another card game which is equally as addictive.  Tapping into the fact that games like poker are so popular nowadays was a stroke of genius by the developers, and there aren’t many other games that have featured side games that are nearly as popular as the main title.

If there is going to be a Witcher 4, gamers will have to wait a while to play it. There was a three-year gap between the first two games, and a four-year gap between the second and third. However, if CD Projekt RED do make a new instalment, it will doubtlessly be worth the wait.