February 1st 2024.
When it comes to the upcoming remake of the original Witcher game, don't expect to see anything that was considered 'bad, outdated, or unnecessarily convoluted.' CD Projekt, the studio behind the highly successful Witcher 3, has big plans for revamping the first game in the series. Despite its massive success, many gamers are still unfamiliar with the first two entries, with the second game only available on Xbox 360 and the first game originally released exclusively for PC in 2007.
Given this limited accessibility, it only makes sense to give the first game a modern update. However, the original game wasn't exactly a masterpiece and had very little in common with the third installment. It seems that CD Projekt is well aware of this, as they have announced plans to make significant changes to the game, including making it open-world, despite the original not being designed as such.
Aside from improving the combat, it seems that CD Projekt is also considering removing the controversial 'romance cards' feature, where the protagonist, Geralt, collects cards every time he sleeps with a woman. Even one of the original creators of the game has expressed his doubts about this feature, stating that it may not have been a good idea. These cards were censored in the North American version, but the original European release featured nudity and suggestive poses.
Although the CEO of CD Projekt, Jakub Rokosz, did not specifically mention the romance cards, he did state in an interview with Edge magazine that they need to take an honest look at which elements of the game are simply not up to par and need to be revamped. Most fans have already accepted that the romance cards will not be included in the remake, especially since many considered them sexist even when the game was originally released.
Designer Karol Kowalczyk, who worked on the first game but is no longer with CD Projekt, admitted in 2022 that the inclusion of the romance cards was a mistake. He stated, "It is indeed very disturbing that the game kind of forces you to become a mindless sex addict to get some of those. We failed to see that as when you are testing the game for the 100th time, you start to do it mechanically and don't really feel those emotions." He also mentioned that if he had the chance to change it now, he would leave the drawings in the game but remove any references to them being collectibles and review any scenes that may have caused discomfort.
The removal of sexist or other bigoted elements from older games is not uncommon when it comes to remakes. For example, Resident Evil 4 made changes to how it portrayed the character of Ashley. While there is often some pushback from fans, most people understand that times have changed, and these changes do not affect the gameplay or story in any significant way.
On a different note, Netflix has announced an animated series based on The Witcher, featuring the original voice actor for Geralt. In addition, CD Projekt has confirmed that they have 250 people working on the highly anticipated Witcher 4, with more team members set to join after the release of their current project, Cyberpunk 2077.
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