While The Witcher games have always had their fair share of fans, the series' popularity really took off with the release of 2015's The Witcher 3. Nearly a decade on from its release, The Witcher 3 is as popular as ever, something that doesn't surprise Geralt's voice actor in the least.
In an interview with GamesRadar+, Geralt's voice actor Doug Cockle, who reprises the role of the eponymous monster slayer in Netflix's upcoming anime movie The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep, has plenty to say about why The Witcher 3 was so momentous. "It was a milestone in game development for all kinds of reasons: the quality of the animation; the quality of the gameplay; the visuals; the sound design; the storytelling; the writing. All of it was so amazing when it first came out, and it continues to be amazing."
More specifically, Cockle focuses on the game's story, and the way it so successfully immerses players in its game world. "I think there are very few games that have come out since that have approached that level of immersive storytelling that [The Witcher 3] achieved in 2015 when it first came out," he explains.
As well as simply being an excellent game, Cockle credits its popularity with helping to popularise the original novels around the world. "It's also the game that brought the books to a wider audience," he begins, "so this whole wonderful new fantasy world became available to people who had no idea it existed before."
With so many good things to say about the world of The Witcher 3, it's no surprise that Cockle has stepped back into Geralt's shoes for Sirens of the Deep. "It is such a rich and wonderful world. I think that was a big part of what made it then - and still makes it - important and iconic.
The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep is streaming exclusively on Netflix from February 11.
