According to CD Projekt RED’s (CDPR) narrative director, the next Witcher installment—which will primarily target consoles—could mark a shift in the Polish studio’s creative philosophy.

Every developer has a different way of working. Some meticulously plan every detail and keep their work in Excel spreadsheets or Google Docs, while others are more spontaneous and even a bit chaotic in their process. As it turns out, Philipp Weber’s first job at CDPR was to spend several days tossing ideas into a growing, unruly Google Doc. That was back when he served as a quest designer on The Witcher 3. Since then, Weber has risen through the ranks at CDPR.

One might assume that a major studio like CDPR would run an extremely tight ship, organizing every aspect down to the last detail. But the company’s philosophy—at least during the development of The Witcher 3—was a bit more holistic. The atmosphere was somewhat scrappy, with Weber jotting down any quest idea that crossed his mind in Google Docs. He even admitted that his process was driven by mood. The Polish studio’s approach was to keep the creative engine running, letting ideas flow in until the very last moment.

That’s why Weber says their work had to be done fast and dirty—immediate and imperfect. They would review and iterate, always experimenting, and kept pushing until the deadline loomed. This kind of chaotic momentum wasn’t the only ingredient in The Witcher 3’s success. Another key factor was the involvement of passionate fans and developers—many of whom were modders themselves.

Back in 2013, CDPR launched a competition after opening the modding toolkit beta to the public. Weber—competing under the alias Benzenzimmern—won that contest, joining the team with boundless motivation and a deep love for The Witcher universe. In his view, The Witcher 3’s secret was its seamlessness, a trait shared by many of those who worked on it…

Source: PCGamer, GamesRadar