The Witcher Author Says There’s Zero Cooperation With The Games — And He Won’t Play Witcher 4
Zero playtime, zero context: the new face of the franchise hasn’t played the games—and knows practically nothing about the source material.
Witcher creator Andrzej Sapkowski just gave a very Sapkowski answer about The Witcher 4: he is not involved, he does not plan to play it, and no, that is not about bad blood. He simply does not play games. There is one eyebrow-raising nugget in there though, and it involves who he says is front and center this time.
So, is he working on The Witcher 4?
Asked at a recent event for his new book (as transcribed by GamesRadar), Sapkowski said he knows basically nothing about the next game beyond broad strokes, including his understanding that Ciri is the main character. He was clear about his status now versus the early days with CD Projekt Red.
"There is no cooperation at all between me and the games."
He added that the relationship started with some cooperation, but that phase is over. If CDPR reaches out now, he says it happens so rarely it is barely worth mentioning.
And is he going to play it?
No. Not because of a grudge, and not because he thinks poorly of the game or its fans. He just does not play video games and never has. Fair enough — if gaming is not your thing, a 50-plus hour open-world RPG like The Witcher 3 is a heavy lift.
Where things stand with CDPR
He made it sound like the relationship today is fine. That is notable because it was rocky a few years ago. In 2019, CDPR settled a dispute with Sapkowski after he pursued additional payment under Polish copyright law, which lets a rights holder ask for more if a licensed work massively overperforms expectations. With The Witcher 3 becoming a phenomenon — and considering the relatively small fee he originally took — he sought $16 million in royalties. They settled, and everyone moved on.
What that means for the new game
Sapkowski is not contributing directly to The Witcher 4, but expect the game to draw from his books anyway. He said ideas from his new work, Crossroads of Ravens, will filter into the RPG — similar to how The Witcher 3 pulled from Season of Storms. In other words: no hands-on from the author, but the DNA is still there.
Quick hits
- Sapkowski says he is not collaborating with CDPR on The Witcher 4 and knows only general info — including his understanding that Ciri is the protagonist.
- He will not play it, but not out of spite; gaming just is not his hobby.
- After a 2019 legal dispute, CDPR and Sapkowski settled; he had sought $16 million under a Polish law that allows higher payment if a license wildly exceeds expectations.
- Even without direct input, CDPR plans to pull ideas from Crossroads of Ravens, much like The Witcher 3 drew on Season of Storms.
- A line circulating that he said "the contracts between me and the game people are excellent" was a transcription error and has been corrected by the outlet.