Ex-CDPR dev behind The Witcher 3 says new vampire RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker is all about how players "shape their own way of play," just as "pen and paper refugees" did in tabletop games like D&D

Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, a former CD Projekt Red developer with experience in leading gems like The Witcher 3, says new RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker is all about player choice.

Tomaszkiewicz, who is directing The Blood of Dawnwalker, declares as much during a new interview with GamesRadar+ at Gamescom 2025. When asked about Rebel Wolves' decision to add more camera options to the vampire game following fans' feedback, the game lead explains, "I believe that RPG games should be about choice, and players should choose the camera they like and play that way." The devs' decisions revolve around users' freedom.

"That's why everything we are doing is about the freedom – not only the camera choices, but also the combat, the narrative sandbox you have in the game, and how you want to progress to the main goal. If you prefer to play at night or day or mix those together, it's up to players." Tomaszkiewicz continues, describing how he was inspired by old "pen and paper" tabletop experiences like Dungeons & Dragons and the choices they offered players.

As the director states, "my dream and my vision was to make [an RPG] a few steps closer to the pen and paper refugees, where you have the Game Master, and when you're doing something, he or she reacts and evolves your story and your experience in a different way, but to the same goal." Rebel Wolves was striving for that sort of organic, heavily player-driven vibe in The Blood of Dawnwalker, hence its emphasis on choice.

"That's why we built this narrative sandbox," as Tomaszkiewicz concludes. "That's why we gave so many options in combat, and that's why we added these cameras, because we want players to have freedom to shape their own way of play."

Ensuring fans have "fun" is "the most important" thing, according to the lead – and I'm inclined to agree as a longtime lover of both tabletop games and video game RPGs alike.

Here's hoping that, come its 2026 release date, The Blood of Dawnwalker embodies what makes the genre so great: the player's own impact on the overall experience.

While you wait for The Blood of Dawnwalker, why not browse through some of the other most exciting new games this year and beyond to keep an eye on?