CDPR Didn’t Expect Such Big Interest in The Witcher 3 Remaster, Which Set a New Record

The free remaster of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has boosted sales of the game, and they remain higher than before its release even after the autumn sales ended, according to CD Projekt RED.

The remaster launched on PC and consoles in late September. Current owners of the game received it for free as an update.

The updated version drew a lot of attention. The game’s online numbers on Steam climbed quickly, and it set a new record for peak concurrent players several times.

In a recent interview with PAP Business, Michal Nowakowski, one of the directors at CD Projekt RED, said the studio is happy with sales of The Witcher 3. He noted that even after the autumn sales ended, the game sells better than it did before the remaster:

We are happy with the current sales of The Witcher 3. During the autumn sales, a promotional campaign ran on most platforms, but interestingly, even after those sales ended, we see that the game’s sales are holding at a higher level than before the remaster appeared.

In Nowakowski’s view, the current sales show that “sales of a game that is already more than eleven years old can be stimulated by certain decisions.”

CDPR did not expect such strong interest in The Witcher 3 remaster, and the game set a new record — Image source: CD Projekt RED

CD Projekt RED is currently developing a story expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt called Songs of the Past. It is planned for release in 2027.

In the interview, Nowakowski admitted that the studio had expected The Witcher 3 to set a new online record only after the DLC launched:

Honestly, we expected record [player count] results only with the release of Songs of the Past, so the fact that the remaster drew so many players is a success we are very happy with.

CD Projekt RED is working on more than the DLC. A full new installment, The Witcher 4, is also in development. Nowakowski said the developers do not want to repeat themselves and aim to offer players new solutions:

Our strategy is that we do not want to repeat ourselves. Our goal is for every game to bring new solutions to storytelling, gameplay, and also to the main missions and side quests.

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