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CD Projekt Red's joint CEO Adam Badowski recalls being worried about the reception to The Witcher 3's dark fantasy stylings, but Game of Thrones' success gave him confidence.
The Witcher 3 turned 10 this year and it's impossible to overstate just how much of a big deal it turned out to be; turning a relatively niche series into a sensation that now has an also-massive TV series adaptation, and The Witcher 4 being one of the most anticipated games of the generation.
However, despite the cult status achieved by the original two games, CD Projekt Red's joint CEO Adam Badowski wasn't entirely confident in The Witcher 3's success due to its much darker take than the high-fantasy style that was all the rage in RPGs like Skyrim, Dragon's Dogma, and World of Warcraft.
Speaking to PC Gamer Badowski explains that "we knew that [The Witcher 3] was a completely new offer for players," referring to other popular RPGs of the era. However, he adds that he "had a lot of worries about the game as a business," noting that "the whole development was expensive and challenging," coupled with the fact that the studio was far smaller back then, working at one game at a time.
Badowski explains: "Witcher is dark fantasy. I remember that it wasn't that popular, and I was worried if people would understand the concept of dark fantasy." However, the rise of Game of Thrones as one of the most popular TV series of all time changed everything.
"People understood that they really liked that dark fantasy. So [Game of Thrones' success] was a great moment for me, that's [when I thought] OK, OK, there's great potential."
Needless to say, it all worked out, as The Witcher 3 smashed CD Projekt Red's "super ambitious" sales goals.
