Witcher spin-off games are *extremely* weird
Neon Knight・26 minutes read
CDPR had multiple unsuccessful attempts at licensing The Witcher for spin-offs, with releases like Crimson Trail, Versus, Battle Arena, Thronebreaker, Gwent, and Rogue Mage facing various challenges and criticisms, ultimately leading to the removal of Monster Slayer from app stores and a disappointing end to the spinoff era.
Insights
- CDPR faced significant challenges in licensing out The Witcher for spin-offs, making around 4 million attempts, with the majority ending in failure, showcasing the complexities of expanding a successful franchise into new gaming ventures.
- The spin-offs associated with The Witcher franchise, such as Crimson Trail, The Witcher Battle Arena, and Thronebreaker, encountered various issues ranging from gameplay limitations, marketing failures, and mismatches with player expectations, leading to underwhelming sales and eventual discontinuation, highlighting the importance of aligning new game releases with audience preferences and franchise strengths.
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Recent questions
What was the first spin-off game based on The Witcher series?
The first spin-off game based on The Witcher series was The Witcher: Crimson Trail, released in 2007.
What were the major choices in The Witcher: Crimson Trail?
The major choices in The Witcher: Crimson Trail revolved around curing the Striga and dealing with a cursed knight in a castle.
Why did Thronebreaker, a single-player game, fail to meet sales expectations?
Thronebreaker, a single-player game, failed to meet sales expectations due to poor marketing, selling only 10% of projected numbers.
What challenges did standalone Gwent face as a separate game?
Standalone Gwent faced challenges due to its departure from the original formula, leading to a decline in the player base and eventual discontinuation.
What led to the disappointing end of CDPR's spinoff era?
The disappointing end of CDPR's spinoff era was marked by the removal of The Witcher Monster Slayer from app stores due to lack of player engagement.
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Summary
00:00
"The Witcher Spin-Offs: Successes and Failures"
- CDPR attempted around 4 million times to license out The Witcher for spin-offs, with almost all attempts failing.
- The first spin-off, The Witcher: Crimson Trail, released in 2007, was a 2D beat-em-up/platformer with a compelling story but lacking gameplay.
- The game features choices, consequences, and multiple endings, with one ending being notably depressing.
- Gameplay-wise, Crimson Trail has 12 levels but essentially 4, with repetitive combat and platforming.
- The story involves a young Geralt encountering a Werewolf and making crucial choices to cure a Striga.
- The game's major choices revolve around curing the Striga and dealing with a cursed knight in a castle.
- The nobleman's ring plays a significant role in determining the game's endings, with a good ending achievable through specific choices.
- The game's final boss, a vampire, leads to a final decision for Geralt, with different outcomes based on previous choices.
- Another spin-off, The Witcher Versus, released in 2008, was an RPG based on Rock Paper Scissors with microtransactions.
- The Witcher Battle Arena, released in 2015, aimed to attract players from Witcher 3 but lacked content for the majority of its player base, leading to its quick shutdown.
10:56
Witcher Games: Marketing Missteps and Player Expectations
- At the launch of Battle Arena, popular characters like Yennefer, Triss, Dandelion, Ciri, Vesemir, Eredin, Eskel, and Lambert were absent, with the playable character roster consisting of fan favorites like a random rock Golem and Eithne, a dryad from the books.
- Geralt was also missing from the initial roster and was excluded from the trailers, despite being in the game at launch, leading to confusion and marketing missteps.
- The launch lineup included characters like Iorveth and Saskia, who are not in Witcher 3, along with Philippa and Letho, who have minimal presence in the game.
- DLC characters were eventually added, including the Succubus from Witcher 2 and Vabjorn from Skellige, with Ciri and Yennefer being added later on.
- Thronebreaker, a single-player narrative-driven game released alongside Gwent, focused on Queen Meve's story and was intended to be the first of an ongoing Witcher Tale series, but failed to meet sales expectations.
- Thronebreaker's failure was attributed to poor marketing, with the game selling only 10% of projected numbers, leading to the cancellation of future Witcher Tale games.
- The gameplay of Thronebreaker was praised for its exploration and storytelling, with choices and consequences handled better than in Witcher 3, but the combat, represented by a unique version of Gwent, received mixed reviews.
- Standalone Gwent, a separate game from Witcher 3's Gwent, faced challenges due to its departure from the original formula, leading to a decline in the player base and eventual discontinuation.
- Gwent's artwork and music were highly praised, but the game struggled to retain players who were expecting a continuation of the Witcher 3 Gwent experience.
- The failure of standalone Gwent was attributed to the mismatch between player expectations from Witcher 3 and the more complex, competitive nature of the standalone game, leading to difficulties in maintaining an active player base.
21:36
CDPR's Spinoff Games Fail to Impress
- CDPR faced criticism for not adequately onboarding new players to Gwent and failing to promote a new game, The Witcher Rogue Mage, effectively.
- The Witcher Rogue Mage was quietly released with minimal advertising, offering a repetitive gameplay loop with sparse story content.
- The game, priced at $10-$20, received little attention and had only one player online during a recording session.
- Another game, The Witcher Monster Slayer, a Pokemon Go clone, faced backlash for aggressive microtransactions and drastic changes that ruined the gameplay experience.
- Monster Slayer eventually got removed from app stores due to lack of player engagement, marking a disappointing end to CDPR's spinoff era.
