Even supernatural monster hunters need a day off. In The Witcher 3, Geralt and Roach spend a lot of time traversing the continent, but no matter where their adventures take them, there always seems to be somewhere warm and cozy to hang up your boots, get stone stares, locals, and get stuck in part of Gwent. .
Building your deck and collecting new cards is such a popular gaming activity in one of the greatest RPGs of all time that CD Projekt RED has created a dedicated spin-off in Gwent: The Witcher Card Game.
"The maps that will be released in 2023 will be the last new additions to the map pool," game director Vlad Tortsov said in a 2023 roadmap video (opens in a new tab). "It's quite a significant change."
But that's not the end of the game.
greener pastures
“We do not plan to release any new cards after 2024,” Tortsov said. "We're basically planning to shut down the card pool with every idea we wanted to add and every mechanic we wanted to see. This would also include ending developer input on ongoing balance changes that were part of their structured updates.
“We feel that this existing card pool can be improved in terms of meta viability, it is no longer necessary to introduce rotation. With this fixed number of cards in Gwent, we'll do everything we can to make sure it's in good meta shape.
When asked if that meant that Gwent, as a game, would be put in the freezer, Tortsovi immediately dismissed that idea.
The team's "unconventional solution" to keeping the game going after their retirement is to put the future of the meta in the capable hands of their players.
The world in your hands
“We want to give the Gwent community the right tools and opportunities to drive balance changes to the game in the future.”
This means that players, regardless of their experience in game development or coding, will be able to make changes to the maps through the Gwent client itself. These may not be as robust as CD Projekt RED's development changes, but when it comes to maintaining balance in the metagame, they will ensure that "players can interact with the game by not only playing it, but also deciding which way to go." gonna". ” from card nerfs to buffs and more.
While this may seem daunting to many, Pawel Burza, communications manager for CD Projekt RED, seems confident it's the right move. Since all the changes would come from within, players are likely to experience the best hotfixes that will benefit them and the rest of their community.
"We're looking at it from above," he says, "but when it comes to players playing the game, personal commitment that makes you favor or disfavor certain archetypes.
Tortsov and Burza were "partly inspired" by games that gave their player base a greater sense of control. “The games that stick are the ones that are community driven,” they agree.
However, CD Projekt Red will not be taking a vacation by relinquishing control of Gwent. He appears to be clearing his plate to focus on five new projects that were announced this year, including a Witcher reboot and a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel. One of the games also set in The Witcher universe will include multiplayer elements and worlds within worlds. . – more than enough for the team to get along once they finish the Gwent set of maps.
Of course, the card team could also work on other card game projects. Presumably The Witcher 4 will have its own version of Gwent after all.
Released in 2017, next year will mark six years of Gwent: The Witcher Card Game. It makes sense that CD Projekt Red would want to protect the game's established community while making room for something even more exciting on the not-too-distant horizon.