It may not seem like much time has passed, but for players who originally began adventuring with Geralt the Witcher in 2007, a decade has gone by. It's been 10 years since we were first introduced to Geralt's raspy, unpleasant voice. 10 years since we first heard Dandelion the Bard sing us a tune, or since we first mounted the unusually-named horse, Roach. To celebrate our time with Geralt, CD Projekt Red recently released an anniversary trailer over YouTube, and while the video is of a celebratory nature, there's an undeniably bittersweet feeling to seeing the series' characters all lined up together one last time.
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While the first installment of the franchise may have released in 2007, for many of us, our adventures with Geralt first began way back in 1993, when the Witcher first set foot into a bar in the fictional town of Vizima. The following events would draw Geralt into a whirlwind of adventure, magic, and betrayal, eventually leading to the conclusion of his story in 1999 with the release of Lady of the Lake.
It would be 8 years before we reunited with Geralt in CD Projekt Red's The Witcher, which would once again lead the now-amnesiac protagonist through the post-novel fantasy world. Eventually this series would lead to the launch of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, an epic RPG that today is still highly regarded as one of the greatest of its genre, to the point that we'd all hoped for follow-up releases from the studio.
Unfortunately, this hope would never we be rewarded. In an interview with IGN in April of 2015, CD Projekt Red would confirm that Wild Hunt was indeed the finale of the franchise, with its DLC Blood and Wine signaling the Witcher's retirement.
Though Geralt has finally earned a quiet, happy life with all of his dearest friends, it's hard to say goodbye. Fictional character he may be, but the adventures of Geralt of Rivia spanned two decades and, for some of us, played an important part of our introduction to the fantasy genre. We shared in his defeats and victories, emphasizing with the deceptively-stoic hero as, together, we experienced stirring tragedies, encountered delightfully complex characters, and, eventually, won Geralt the finale he deserved.
There's a chance that we may yet see more of the Witcher, of course. CD Projekt Red is hard at work on finishing campaigns for the Witcher-inspired card-playing-game, Gwent, and it's quite possible that we'll be revisiting him at some point in the future. Be sure to keep up with the developers on Twitter for more news on that.
