Endings isn’t a broad enough term for the folks at CD Projekt RED. The studio, home to the Witcher franchise and Cyberpunk 2077, is planning a third game based on the adventures of Andrzej Sapkowski’s Geralt of Rivia. Specifically, they’re working on the end.
“There will be 36 different endings,” managing director Adam Badowski told Polygon. He was countered by head of marketing Michal Platkow-Gilewski, who deemed them “world states” instead of endings.
The distinction lies in the fact that these 36 outcomes are based on player choices throughout the game, which affect the proceedings in ways both major and minor. The result is three entirely different epilogues, all playable, that culminate in 36 different “world states” based on one’s choices within the game.
According to Badowski, variety on this scale wasn’t the intentional goal, but a happy side effect of doing what was necessary to account for player agency.
A bonus note: there will be some benefit to be had by those who import their Witcher 2 endgame saves into The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. CD Projekt RED is even looking into a way to make this an option for PS4 owners, despite the fact that The Witcher 2 was never released on Sony consoles.
Source: Polygon