Although Baldur’s Gate 3 arguably reshaped the future of the RPG genre as a whole with its monumental 2023 launch, the inspiration Larian Studios’ work had on other developers isn’t a sign that all new games will be similar to it or draw from its formula.
Plenty of other RPGs, after all, are known for their devs’ own unique flair – and CD Projekt Red’s titles, both released and upcoming, are certainly no exception. Speaking in an interview with PC Gamer recently, the studio’s joint CEO, Michał Nowakowski, explains that Baldur’s Gate 3 was inspiring – but the team behind gems like Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3 will be sticking to the qualities fans know and love it for.
“There was a lot of inspiration in what Baldur’s Gate 3 did, but I think we’re still sticking to what was in Witcher 3, Cyberpunk,” admits Nowakowski. “But we don’t want to just make another game like that, just with better graphics. We do want to innovate.” That makes sense, especially when considering projects such as The Witcher 4 that the studio currently has in the works. As for how CD Projekt Red plans to “innovate,” the lead doesn’t say.
One thing is for sure, though. “We definitely are not going to make a game like Larian did,” as Nowakowski puts it. “That’s the kind of game they can make. But a lot of stuff with how they can interact with the world and what it does was, for sure, some inspiration to us.” As a longtime fan of CD Projekt Red’s games, I’d argue the devs don’t need to “make a game like Larian did,” anyway. Fans love their RPGs for their big, open worlds and more.
It’s not as though the studio hasn’t taken its most beloved games in different directions with spin-offs and the like, but it’s no longer the focus. Nowakowski reveals as much, stating, “We made at some point the decision that the in-house team has to focus on the key pillar games rather than doing spinoffs… maybe that’s going to change, but at the moment, the way we are structured right now, we don’t necessarily want to walk away from that.”
There’s plenty to look forward to from the devs, regardless, from The Witcher 4 to other upcoming CD Projekt Red games like the mysterious codenamed Project Sirius, another Witcher title that the team says will “differ from past productions” it’s worked on. For the RPG stans who are more Baldur’s Gate 3-pilled now, Hasbro previously admitted it’s still “talking to lots of partners” about making a sequel.
The Witcher’s long-time voice of Geralt isn’t worried about Ciri’s actor taking over as the RPG’s star: “She’s going to do a great job.”
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