Veteran of CDPR accused the epilogue of The Witcher of a mistake that led to the creation of The Witcher 2 as a game about witches, “somehow killing kings”.

Short version of the news article

TopicKey factsEpilogue authorArthur Ganshinets – lead designer of the original game *The Witcher*.

Reason for different endingsIn the original, the finale was open-ended, but CD Projekt Red wanted to add a “cinematic” epilogue. The creation was done without screenwriters, which led to a conflict with the main storyline.

Essence of the epilogueGeralt saves King Temerii Foltest from an assassination in the throne room, but this event becomes a prelude to *The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings*.

Author’s criticismGanshinets considers the epilogue a mistake: it forced developers to continue the story about witchers and king killings. As a result, the second part became “politicized” and deprived Geralt, his family, and other plot lines of development.

Commercial resultDespite the shift in focus, *The Witcher 2* was commercially successful: over 15 million copies sold in 15 years since release.

What Arthur Ganshinets explainedIn an interview he described why the original game’s finale differs from the epilogue. Initially, *The Witcher* ended with the Hero defeating mage Yakov and a warning about the “White Blade.” However, the added cinematic epilogue shifted focus to events of the second part.

> Ganshinets: “We wanted an open ending. CD Projekt Red felt the game lacked an epilogue, but it was created without screenwriters. This caused conflict and forced us to make a continuation where witchers kill kings.”

How this affected *The Witcher 2*
The author notes that the second part became “politicized” and did not allow exploration of Geralt’s identity, his family relationships, and other important plot elements. Nevertheless, the game turned out very successful: over 15 million copies sold in 15 years since release.

Conclusion
The cinematic epilogue of the original *The Witcher* caused a development conflict and changed the direction of the second part’s story, but ultimately both games received player recognition and commercial success.