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The game that graced us with Bathtub Geralt, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, arrived more than a decade ago. So it was a touch surprising this summer when developers CD Projekt Red announced a new expansion to the venerable adventure, titled Songs of the Past, for next year. It will release alongside a full remaster of the original game, which will be free for anyone who bought it back in 2015. (The studio is also working on a sequel, The Witcher 4, but that’s not due until 2028.)
As it turns out, this is all possible thanks to a partnership with Fool’s Theory, a studio founded by CD Projekt Red veterans, which took on the brunt of the development work. “We’ve had this story in a drawer for many years,” explains Marcin Blacha, VP story director at CD Projekt Red. “Of course, we moved on to Cyberpunk 2077 and now The Witcher 4, as well as our other projects. But because we knew The Witcher 4 would take time, we saw a gap in our release calendar where Songs of the Past could go. Thankfully, we were able to find the right partner to help execute it.”
The elephant in the room, though, is that The Witcher 3’s 2016 expansion Blood and Wine felt like a natural conclusion to Geralt’s tale. After decades covered in entrails, the legendary monster slayer hangs up his dual swords for a well-earned life of luxury on his recently acquired vineyard estate. What can he possibly have left to do?
“That is certainly something we thought through,” says Blacha. “Geralt retired in Toussaint – but then his best friend comes calling. I don’t think many of us would turn down that request.”
So, foppish fan favourite Dandelion the bard pulls the witcher back into action, asking Geralt to come to his aid in his homeland of Letten. It’s a seemingly idyllic land of bountiful harvests and rowdy festivals that hides some sinister secrets.
It’s been exciting, and nostalgic. We spent so long with Geralt, but have also learned a lot in the 10-plus years we’ve been away from him,” says Blacha. “With Songs of the Past, we really wanted to return to The Witcher’s roots. That meant drawing on old beliefs and folklore, revisiting landscapes inspired by Poland’s history and countryside, and staying true to the series’ tradition of difficult dilemmas. Going back to all of this has been a pleasure.”
The team has also put to bed rumours that this expansion will be a prequel to The Witcher 4. Songs of the Past is focused on the gruff, grey witcher we’ve already come to love, not Ciri, the younger protagonist of the forthcoming title. Rather, the expansion has all the trappings that seasoned Witcher fans should recognise, with a morally murky narrative brought to life by returning voice actors Doug Cockle and John Schwab, who reprise their roles as Geralt and Dandelion.
There are a few new features to play around with, though: CD Projekt has enhanced Geralt’s combat and skill trees, and he now wields a chain weapon alongside his steel and silver swords. There are also new DNA-modifying mutagens to play around with, tweaking Geralt’s biology and, therefore, his supernatural skills.
The Witcher 3 is a modern classic that has already come to a gratifying end: bringing Geralt out of retirement is a risky move. But when his medallion starts humming, the White Wolf is still ready to answer the call.
