The internet has been abuzz ever since CD Projekt Red announced a newWitchergame is in development. In a post onThe Witcher’swebsite, the announcement says CD Projekt Red will be utilizing Unreal Engine 5. Alongside the announcement was an image depicting a Witcher medallion in the shape of a lynx. This has led some fans to believe the new title won’t include Geralt, but will instead focus on the start of a new saga. If this is the case and the series leaves its origins behind, it would be a great opportunity for CD Projekt Red to move away fromGwent, too.
For those unfamiliar,Gwentis a minigame that appears inThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. It’s a card game that Geralt can play with various NPCs from around the world, with the object of the game being to score more points by playing cards with different number values. In addition to these values,Gwentcards typically possess different effects that can be utilized to prevent opponents from scoring.Gwentproved to be almost as popular asThe Witcher 3,and was even redesigned into a standalone title. With a newWitchergame, however, now is the perfect time to push for the next evolution of series minigames.
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Minigames in The Witcher
The originalWitchergame and its sequel,The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, did not includeGwent. In its stead was a minigame called dice poker. Dice poker is basically a game of five-card draw poker, but with five dice instead of playing cards. Dice poker certainly doesn’t have the same level of polish asGwent, but nonetheless it’s a fun inclusion that set a precedent for minigames inThe Witcher, alongside fist-fighting and arm wrestling. The novelty of a minigame is to provide smaller, inconsequential experiences that give players a break from the main questline, and dice poker accomplishes this.
Minigames for The Next Witcher Saga
Now that a newWitchergame has been announced, it begs all sorts of questions about what the new title’s world will look like. The use ofUnreal Engine 5will undoubtedly change the way the world looks and feels. For example, one wonders if there will there be familiar locations, or if the game takes place on a totally new continent. In that same vein, it’s worth considering which of the series’ mainstay mechanics will be kept and which will be reinvented.
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Gwenthas been around for about seven years with little to no changes. Since thenext entry (not calledWitcher 4apparently)and the series’ future is subject to speculation, it’s the perfect time for CD Projekt Red to continue its tradition of tabletop minigames. A new minigame would help the next game not only establish its own identity, but also build a new world. This could be a game that incorporates different types of game pieces; cards and dice have both been used for minigames, so maybe it could be something similar to chess with its own unique pieces.
The idea is not to try and get rid of something that isn’t broken, sinceGwentis very much still thriving. Rather, it’s an impetus for CD Projekt Red to innovate and create another classic minigame likeGwentthat could flourish alongside the card game. Captivating audiences with an open-world game full of content is predicated on providing new and exciting gameplay. CD Projekt Red needs a hit afterCyberpunk 2077, and the studio should take care to deliver on all the things that madeThe Witcherso successful. If anyone can create a new minigame, it’s the director ofGwent, Jason Slama, who is also set to be the director of the nextWitcheradventure.
