Although The Witcher author Andrzej Sapkowski has an excellent deal with CD Projekt Red, The Witcher IV won't feature any new contribution from him.
At a recent book event to promote the new Crossroads of Ravens book, GamesRadar+ asked the Polish author if he helped CDPR with the development of the new entry in the series in any way. The author confirmed that the game won't feature any new contributions from him, adding that it is rare for CDPR to ask him for details nowadays. For earlier games in the series, Andrzej Sapkowski was occasionally asked for advice or additional information on the role, so this definitely sounds like a big change.
Although The Witcher IV won't have any contribution from Andrzej Sapkowski, the relationship between the author and the developer seems healthy. "The contracts between me and the game people are excellent right now," he said. "Let's hope it stays that way."
The original deal both parties signed back in the late 1990s only involved a single, upfront lump sum payment, as the author refused a percentage of profits. In 2018, Sapkowski's legal representative demanded approximately $16 million USD in additional royalties from CDPR, which ultimately led to an amicable settlement of the dispute and a new agreement in December 2019.
While The Witcher IV won't feature any new contribution from Andrzej Sapkowski, his novels will continue to influence the new entry in the series, as it will take some cues from Crossroads of Ravens, a prequel book covering Geralt's first foray into the difficult job of a witcher.
Having seen the massive respect CDPR has for the author's works and the lore he created, I am personally not too worried about the next entry in the series deviating from the established canon, even without Andrzej Sapkowski's involvement. Unlike some other adaptations that have chosen to stray from the source material in the worst possible way, CDPR has consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to translating the spirit and details of Sapkowski's world onto the screen, so it will be really interesting to see how the studio overcomes the challenge of convincing players that Ciri is just as important as Geralt, something that book readers already know well.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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