The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Interview

The Red Bull website is sporting an article-style interview with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt level designer Miles Tost about the company’s decision to go open-world with this installment, the significant size increase to the world, their plans to release it DRM-free, and more. A sampling to follow:

(When using Witcher Senses, Geralt’s ability to hear and see increases. First you have to find the monster, then you determine what kind of monster it is, you combine various mixtures and oils that will help you to combat it, and finally you go in for the kill.)

Of course, what the switch to next-gen really enables is the sort of vast scope the fantasy series demands and for the first time, CD Projekt Red have opted for a huge open world environment that’s yours to explore as you wish.

(We knew we had a really good RPG on our hands and a really dedicated fanbase to support that, but we still wanted more. That’s where the open world element kicked in we always wanted to make a truly open world RPG but, for various reasons, we couldn’t fully accomplish that goal until now,) Tost says.

(We want to combine the strong pull of closed-world RPGs story-wise, with a world where you can go anywhere and do anything you want. It makes the whole experience more lifelike. Geralt’s a witcher, a travelling monster hunter for hire there’s nothing more exciting that letting him loose in an open world and giving him a meaningful and captivating story to be part of.)