Perhaps one of the biggest hits in the RPG genre during this previous generation of consoles wasThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Much likeSkyrimon the PS3 and Xbox 360, the third entry in theWitcherseries seemed to elevate both the franchise and the genre to new heights with its massive open world and captivating questlines. And whileThe Witcher 4is rumored to currently be in early productionat CD Projekt Red, the developer may benefit from bringing all three of the previous entries to both the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
The Witcherfranchise has built up quite a fan base sinceThe Witcher 3released. Not only was the sequel seen as a top contender for Game of the Year in 2015, but the IP has grown in popularity thanks to spinoff games likeGWENT,Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales,andThe Witcherseries on Netflix. This reason alone would likely be good enough to convince CD Projekt Red to bringThe Witchertrilogy to next-gen consoles; however, there is another argument to be made that could prove more effective.
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Currently, there is only one way for players to be able to play through all threeWitchergames on one system: the PC. Making them all available on one console would be great for every game involved—The Witcher 1has never graced consoles and could use a graphical upgrade, the same goes forThe Witcher 2,andThe Witcher 3fans who joined the franchise late could go back and play them without sacrificing modern expectations. It’s been many moons now between the last Witcher game and there’s many more to come before the next, so doing this would just about benefit everyone involved. And while it may take CD Projekt Red to work around the fact that the original game does not have native controller support, it’s likely that this time and effort would be worth its time before it releases the nextWitchergame.
Re-releasingThe Witchertrilogy on both the PS5 and Xbox Series X gives CD Projekt Red another incentive as well. The first two games in theWitcherseries are a little rough when it comes to graphics, even when running on a high end gaming PC. CD Projekt has an opportunity to go back over these games and improve the overall visuals, not with just mere upgrades, perhaps similar to what Bluepoint has done in bothDemon’s SoulsandShadow of the Colossus. Of course, for time’s sake, it may not go this far.
While re-releasingThe Witchertrilogy on PS5 and Xbox Series X won’t guarantee a surge in membership for the fanbase, it seems like a well-earned celebration for the already existing fans.
