The Witcher 3: The Story Behind CD Projekt Red's Decision to Kill Off a Beloved Book Character
Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for a key plot point in The Witcher 3.
The Witcher 3 took some bold risks with Andrzej Sapkowski’s canon when it was released in 2015, even going so far as to kill off Vesemir, Geralt's mentor and a prominent character from the books. It was a surprising move for the time, and it was even somewhat controversial within CD Projekt Red’s design team.
Looking back on the decision during a GDC 2023 panel titled “10 Key Quest Design Lessons From The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077,” CD Projekt Red quest director Pawel Sasko recalled the moment he concluded that he needed to kill off Geralt’s venerable mentor.
“I needed the moment for Ciri to actually make a decision that she’s not going to be hunted anymore…she’s going to be a hunter, she’s going to go after the Wild Hunt. But to do that I needed an actual event that would break her inside, and that was the moment when I proposed to our writer’s team that we kill Vesemir,” Sasko recalled.
The rest of The Witcher 3’s development was hesitant, not the least because of the role Vesemir plays in the books. Would players accept the death of such a high-profile character?
“At first, they weren’t sure we should be doing that. But in the discussions with Marcin Blacha, our story director, we reached the conclusion that it was actually a really good decision for Ciri to make that step,” Sasko said, pointing to the psychological impact that traumatic events can have.
What’s more, Vesemir was an ideal candidate based on the role he plays in The Witcher 3’s plot.
“[Vesemir] is built up really well and prepared, you get to know him…that’s why this moment was so impactful. I also wanted to do something that players wouldn’t believe we were doing. I
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