Recent discussion around CD Projekt Red has indicated that a follow-up toThe Witcher 3: Wild Huntis in the pipeline. This doesn’t come as too much of a surprise, asThe Witcherfranchise is among the most beloved in gaming.The Witcher 3proved to be CD Projekt Red’s golden egg, bringing a massive amount of attention toThe Witcherseries and leaving fans excited to see the next steps of the series.The Witcher 4may not feature the fan-favorite Geralt of Rivia, as his story appeared to be wrapped up inThe Witcher 3, but it can ensure success by taking a couple of lessons from its predecessor.
Fans are excited about the prospect ofThe Witcher 4’sfuture release, but CD Projekt Red will need to be careful to capture what made the previous game so special.The Witcher 3’ssuccess is due in part to a number of factors, but not least of all is its random encounters.The Witcher 3is famed for the often inconsequential interactions Geralt has with the people of the Continent. The importance of each of these encounters varies, but their significance isn’t the root of their appeal.WhenThe Witcher 4releases, these encounters will be crucial to capturingThe Witcherexperience.
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When Is The Witcher 4 Coming Out?
CD Projekt Red CEO, AdamKiciński, has suggested that another Witcher game is one of CDPR’s priorities for the future. CDPR’sother priority isCyberpunk 2077,with updates and DLC packs in the works to help the game recover from the game’s rocky launch. This suggests that the next big project to be released by CD Projekt Red will beThe Witcher 4,but it may not exactly be called that. Adam Kiciński was also quick to point out thatThe Witcherseries so far was wrapped up as intended, as a trilogy. The story of Geralt was concluded withThe Witcher 3’sBlood and Wine DLC. As such, the nextWitchergame could be a spin-off.
WhileThe Witcher 4may not actually beThe Witcher 4, it could look to build upon characters present in the original trilogy of games. Ciri could be a great example of a character the futureWitchergames could focus on. Principal writer forThe Witcherseries Jakub Szamałek has previously expressed a desire to return to her storyline, with a greater focus on her past. Still, fans excited at the prospect ofTheA Ciri-focusedWitcher 4may have to wait for some time. It seems the focus forThe Witcherseries right now is on season 2 of the Netflix adaptation, which releases in December. IfThe Witcher 4is a consideration for CD Projekt Red right now, it’s likely a low priority one.
The Witcher 3’s Random Encounters
There are two main types ofrandom encounters inThe Witcher 3. The easily missed random encounter, in which the player may stumble upon a rare event, and the random encounter in which the player’s actions impact the world around them. The most significant example of the first type can be found when sailing the seas of Skellige. If the player happens to be sailing at 1 AM, there’s a chance that they may encounter a fairly special ship. The origin of the ship is unknown, and all that is apparent from the ship’s appearance is that it is a ghostly vessel. There’s no way for the player to interact with this ghost ship beyond bearing witness to it, but its inclusion adds a sense of wonderment toThe Witcher 3.
Examples of the other kind of encounters are widespread. Notable ones include the ability for the player to come across Birna Bran following her execution for sabotage, or having Dora fight alongside Geralt against a group of thugs the player had previously saved her from. It is in cases like these that theopen world ofThe Witcher 3begins to feel alive and malleable. The player’s actions have a measurable effect on the in-game world, making it clear that what the player chooses to do matters. Where the first type of random encounter makesThe Witcher 3’sworld feel like it’s alive, the second type of encounter makes the player feel as though they’re living in the world.
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Why The Witcher 4 Should Have Random Encounters
TheWitcher 3’srandom encounters made up some of the best parts of the game. While in terms ofThe Witcher 3’sstory, they mattered very little, their inclusion may have had a significant impact on the player’s engagement. The world ofThe Witcherfeels alive thanks to these easily missed moments. The immersion offered by the consequences of the player’s actions playing out in front of them is what makes open world RPGs feel so special. Every quest holds a great deal of significance if the player feels as though their actions may have actual consequences.The Witcher 3succeeds in this regard, as the player is continually confronted by the outcome of their quests, leaving very little room for error.
Another important aspect these encounters provide is a feeling that the player is actually living the life of a Witcher. The game is constantly throwing opportunities at the player to test their blade in exchange for coin. There’s a feeling that, while the main quest ofThe Witcher 3requires some attention, the player could quite easily travel from town to town, living the standard life of a Witcher. While theserandom encounters in open-world RPGsare always important to the overall feel of the game, there aren’t many examples of the random encounters being as relevant to the experience as they are inThe Witcher 3.
The release ofThe Witcher 4appears as though it’s still some way off, but the framework for success is already in place. Whetherthe nextWitchergamefollows Geralt, Ciri, or any other character inThe Witcherfranchise, it could benefit from lessons learnt inThe Witcher 3. The random encounters of the latestWitchergame make up some of its best moments, giving the player an insight into the life of a Witcher, and breathing further life into the game’s world. Though little is known aboutThe Witcher 4, it should prioritize the random encounters that madeThe Witcher 3so immersive.
The Witcher 3: Wild Huntis available now on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch, with PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions coming in 2021.
