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Former CD Projekt Red developer Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, who boasts experience in leading gems like The Witcher 3, says new RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker stands apart from the rest of the genre thanks to its immersive qualities – including impactful consequences.
Tomaszkiewicz, who is directing The Blood of Dawnwalker, explains how the RPG manages to do so during a new interview with GamesRadar+ at the Gamescom 2025 event. According to the lead, many well-known titles from the genre fail to nail immersion because they lack convincing elements. Rather than following the main story or pressing quests, players can put them off and do whatever they want – and with no consequences as a result.
"Other games all have the same problem, that there is a story, but you don't believe in this story, because the game does not support the events [of said story]," as Tomaszkiewicz says. In other words, "you can do whatever you want for 80 hours and nothing happens, right?" I'm immediately reminded of Skyrim, and honestly, even The Witcher 3. As a big fan of RPGs myself, I completely understand where the director is coming from.
It's not unheard of, after all, to get lost or sidetracked while the world is falling apart around you in-game – and while this sort of gameplay experience has its perks, too, The Blood of Dawnwalker team, understandably, sees story as "the most important stuff." Tomaszkiewicz uses a burning house as an example: "It will not burn forever, right?" If you leave a house to burn, " people probably will die," and "there will be consequences."
That's the kind of approach devs have taken with The Blood of Dawnwalker – one in which players make choices for themselves, much like they would in a "pen and paper" game, as the lead describes, and those decisions naturally come with consequences. Tomaszkiewicz believes that cause-and-effect scenarios are the reason Rebel Wolves, the small studio behind the upcoming vampire RPG, can create a "more immersive game" for fans.
I'm personally really looking forward to seeing how this all plays out come The Blood of Dawnwalker's release sometime next year in 2026, especially when I consider the game's unique time-limited main story and its impact on decision-making.
Be sure to follow the Gamescom 2025 schedule for more exciting announcements regarding new games, and check out our recap of the Future Games Show at Gamescom 2025, too.
