The Witcher author Andrezj Sapkowski says he doesn't really work with CD Projekt Red anymore, but while he probably won't play The Witcher 4, that's got nothing to do with his relationship with the devs.
Speaking at an event for his new book attended by GamesRadar+ (you can see the entire transcript here), Sapkowski was asked whether he had any involvement with the development of The Witcher 4. In response, he said, "I know practically nothing about it," beyond "general information" like the choice of Ciri as the main character.
"There is no cooperation at all between me and the games," he continued, explaining that while his relationship with CDPR "started with some kind of cooperation," that arrangement is over. "Right now, if they ask me about something," he says, "it's so rare that it's not worth mentioning."
Sapkowski's not involved in the game's development, and he says he also has no plans to play it. But that's not because he has anything against CDPR, the game itself, or its players. Instead, he explained that he's never played the games, because "it's not an entertainment for me." Given that a playthrough of The Witcher 3 is likely to set you back at least 50 hours, I can see that if gaming's not for you, it's not the kind of thing you'd be interested in investing all that time in.
Sapkowski appears to suggest that his relationship with CD Projekt Red is in a relatively positive space now, but that's not always been the case. In 2019, CD Projekt Red settled a lawsuit with Sapkowski - Polish copyright law allows the rights holder to seek increased payment if the license makes far more money than expected. Given the success of The Witcher 3 and the relatively paltry sum the author initially asked from CDPR, Sapkowski was seeking $16 million in royalties.
Sapkowski hasn't contributed directly to The Witcher 4, but ideas from Crossroads of Ravens will make their way into the RPG - just like The Witcher 3 did with Season of Storms.
A previous version of this story claimed that Sapkowski said "the contracts between me and the game people are excellent." This was a transcription error that has been amended. GamesRadar+ regrets the error.
