So, it is official that CD Projekt Red is working on a new Witcher game, huh? Even though there is no official name yet, everyone has still been calling it Witcher 4. The company shared a tweet that basically just needed people’s honest expectations for the next Witcher game. And, let me tell you, the replies are pretty wild… There is an entire spectrum of emotions based on hype, fear, and even complete negativity. Let’s dive in and see what the gamers think about this long-awaited release.
To kick things off, there is a giant group of people who just don’t care at all and are not excited in the least. They expect nothing at all. _opropriodaniel user simply put it when he said “I have no expectations. That is why I will not be disappointed.” It is really sad if you think about it, but at the same time it’s a pretty good strategy for today’s gaming. In contrast, jesussard went even further by saying that they have already uninstalled Steam and all games from their computers, that they are going “full AI monk” and that they are going to live outside “fantasy nonsense.” That is really a mood, to be honest. Many people who are sharing their opinion seem to be saying this is the main reason they are fed up with games that do not meet their expectations.
Then we have the ‘woke’ issue which has already been raised several times and seemingly will never be forgotten. Even before its release, the game was referred to in several responses as “woke slop” or “woke garbage” and similar terms. InPassing222 user had a very well-rounded perspective and is anticipating “excellent gameplay, but a lot of talking down to men.” He even referred to the trailer in which Ciri calls men monsters and compared it with the other game ‘Banishers’ where they thought white men were portrayed unflatteringly. Many were worried about DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) impositions in the making of the game and some even argued that investors like Blackrock might be imposing certain ideologies. Lonewolf Zero precisely and very concisely said “All woke boxes ticked” with a thumbs up emoji that seemed to be… not really sincere.
However, politics is not the only topic; there are real concerns about CD Projekt Red as a company. SupersonicFire1 pointed out that CDPR is a “ship of theseus studio” where over time the original Witcher 3 team has been replaced completely with new recruits. That is, in fact, a very thought-provoking observation about the very evolution of studios in general. If the people who made it all happen are not there anymore, can it still happen? Cheky01 was more blunt than ever before when he said “CD projekt Red has been dead for a long time. RIP. Long live Rebel Wolves.” Ouch!
Technical and gameplay expectations are a bit of a mixed bag. azurthedragon predicts “a defective action adventure game. Not an RPG. With no good side quests.” He has compared it to Cyberpunk’s development and pointed out that even though the technical issues were resolved, the game still did not have the depth of RPG that was anticipated. On the other hand, RAKSWALKER was more hopeful and expressed his wish for “some nice quests” because of the recent change in the staff to include the quest director from Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. At least there is someone in the crowd who sees that side of things positively.
What makes it interesting is the number of people who are comparing it to the other recent gaming disappointments. Dysputant2 thought it would “probably have a Dragon Age 4 vibe” and made a joke about waiting to see Ciri say she is “queer.” Justusvv was already convinced there would be “the tiniest woke bullshit things scattered throughout the game” and that the storyline would be of “some kind of marxist uprising against a patriarchal capitalist oppressor.” They also added “UE5 will strike again” which refers to another issue of Unreal Engine 5 games suffering from reduced performance.
The gamers are almost unanimous in thinking that the game will be a visual miracle – Lord_Gothmog is expecting “great visuals along with a totally crappy story.” It looks like AAA games nowadays still come with very good graphics but not-so-good writing. AuthorErwin might have had the most creative analogy, saying it was “a drill attached to a tool belt covered in clocks. That’s right. A boring, overpriced, waste of time.” How come? I have no idea but it certainly does not sound good.
Some players have decided just to refrain from any contact with the game. donaldmorganjr said he was “ignoring it. Maybe get it on sale in summer in a few years.” Which could be the most rational decision to make in light of the current gaming landscape on PlayStation and Xbox.
