Netflix rejuvenates The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, sets new record on Steam

By Aaron Mamiit Published January 5, 2020

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has set a new record on Steam for concurrent players, largely due to renewed interest in the game after the release of The Witcher series on Netflix starring Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer, and Freya Allan as Ciri.

Netflix rolled out all eight episodes of the first season of The Witcher on December 20, but a month before it premiered, Netflix had already renewed the series for a second season. After several days, The Witcher claimed the title as the biggest show worldwide, taking the throne away from Disney+’s The Mandalorian.

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The popularity of the show, which was based on the dark fantasy novels by Andrzej Sapkowski, has rejuvenated the games based on the same material, particularly The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Originally launched in May 2015 for the PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One before being ported to the Nintendo Switch last October, the RPG has soared to new heights on Steam.

According to Steam Charts, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt set a new record of 103,329 concurrent players, as the game broke through the 100,000-mark for the first time since its launch more than four years ago. The data reveals that interest in the RPG steadily increased since The Witcher was rolled out on Netflix, eventually breaking the game’s previous record of 92,268 concurrent players that it set when it was first released.

Meanwhile, as of January 5, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was in the top 10 games by current player count on Steam at 63,986 players, landing at 7th place just behind Destiny 2 in an impressive feat for a game that is more than four years old.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was also added to the Xbox Game Pass before Netflix released The Witcher, so subscribers who got hooked on the series will be able to play as Geralt of Rivia in the massive RPG.

Fans of the franchise have a lot to look forward to, though the second season of The Witcher on Netflix is not expected to arrive until early 2021. Meanwhile, CD Projekt Red inked a new deal with Sapkowski, ending a feud over compensation and hinting at future projects set in The Witcher universe.

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The Witcher 3’s long-delayed current-gen update launches this December

Geralt fighting an enemy in The Witcher 3.

As promised, CD Projekt Red will release the current-gen update for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt -- Complete Edition this year, on December 14. This update will go live across PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, and is free to anyone who already owns the game on previous-gen.

The current-gen version of The Witcher 3 has been in the works for quite some time, suffering multiple delays since its initial announcement in 2021. Thankfully, the game's developer will make good on its promise to launch it in 2022.

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The Witcher is getting a full remake built in Unreal Engine 5

The Witcher

CD Projekt Red has announced a remake of the first game in The Witcher series from the ground up, built using Unreal Engine 5. Polish studio Fool's Theory will be developing the game and there are veterans of the franchise involved in its production. CD Projekt Red is providing full creative supervision for the game.

“The Witcher is where it all started for us, for CD Projekt Red. It was the first game we made, ever, and it was a big moment for us then. Going back to this place and remaking the game for the next generation of gamers to experience it feels just as big, if not bigger,” says studio head Adam Badowski in a statement. “Collaborating with Fool’s Theory on the project is just as exciting, as some of the people there have been previously involved in The Witcher games. They know the source material well, they know how much gamers have been looking forward to seeing the remake happen, and they know how to make incredible and ambitious games. And although it will take some time before we’re ready to share more about and from the game, I know it’ll be worth the wait.”

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A new Witcher trilogy and Cyberpunk game are in development at CD Projekt Red

Geralt drawing his sword in The Witcher 3 promo art.

CD Projekt Red announced several long-term projects, which include a new Witcher trilogy, a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, and a new IP.

The Warsaw-based developer gave a presentation on Tuesday giving an update on how the company has grown since Q1 2022, the performance for the original Witcher trilogy and Cyberpunk 2077 (they sold over 65 million and 20 million copies, respectively), and what its strategy will be to continue its growth going forward. During that presentation, it unveiled the three new Witcher games under the working titles Project Sirius, Project Polaris, and Project Canis Majoris, and a Cyberpunk game with the working title Project Orion.