At that moment the developers had no way of knowing how The Witcher 3’s launch would unfold.
Today The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is widely known — CD Projekt RED’s title enjoys immense popularity and has sold in vast numbers. Yet the team had not anticipated such success at the outset.
Before The Witcher 3 hit shelves, the creators were worried about another major release — Batman: Arkham Knight. They feared the Dark Knight’s game might push Geralt’s new title off retail shelves.
Michał Nowakowski told PC Gamer:
Let’s say retailers like GameStop have, so to speak, a limited window — the primary period during which they’ll promote a title. Two weeks for one game, two weeks for another. That’s their call. Whether they prioritize one release over another is their wager, and that choice can either sink your game or lift it to a whole new level. Naturally, they want to choose wisely to sell as many copies as possible.
At first it was expected that Batman: Arkham Knight would launch in the same month as The Witcher 3; the Arkham demonstration had left a strong impression on the CDPR team.
Nowakowski recalled:
I still remember how shocked we were when we found out Rocksteady was releasing Batman: Arkham Knight — I think it was the installment featuring the Batmobile. They were on the same tour as us: they came to see our demo and showed us theirs. It felt like, “My God, these guys are at the top of their game. They’re going to run over us. It’s going to be tough.”
In the end Arkham Knight’s release was delayed from May to June, and The Witcher 3 went on to become a huge success that still draws players today.
Source: iXBT.games