The original author of the books that would be adapted by CD Projekt into its The Witcher series, Andrzej Sapkowski, is known for being quite critical towards the adaptations. In a recent AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit, he has now spoken how he doesn’t really care for the extra lore that was added by CD Projekt through its introduction of more Witcher schools.
In answering a question about how CD Projekt’s games added quite a bit of lore to the various Witcher schools from the books, especially with the addition of school of the Viper and school of the Bear, among others, Sapkowski referred to his original mention of the ‘school of the Wolf’ as essentially being a mistake, and unworthy of further development.
“The issue of ‘witcher schools’ requires—I apologise—a longer explanation,” wrote Sapkowski, before going on to compare the idea to the various houses from the Harry Potter books. “A single sentence about some ‘school of the Wolf’ mysteriously made its way into The Last Wish. I later deemed it unworthy of development and narratively incorrect, even detrimental to the plot.”
“Therefore, later I never included or referenced any Witcher Gryffindors or Slytherins again. Never. However, that one sentence was enough. Adaptors, particularly video game people, have clung to the idea with remarkable tenacity and have wonderfully multiplied these ‘witcher schools.’ Completely unnecessary.”
As for what the expansion on this aspect of the lore means for the rest of the Witcher series of books, Sapkowski isn’t quite sure what to do. He posited a few routes he could take, like removing the idea of schools from future prints of The Last Wish – the first book in the Witcher series – or even expanding on the lore of the various medallions that Witchers tend to wear in the stories.
“I’m still uncertain about what to do with this situation,” he continued. “Perhaps, taking the path of least resistance, I’ll erase the sentence about the “school” from future editions of The Last Wish. Or maybe I’ll want to expand and clarify the matter somehow in subsequent books? Perhaps I’ll shed some light on the issue of Witcher medallions, their significance, and their connection to specific individuals? There are many possibilities, and the sky is the limit.”
For context, the Witcher universe, according to CD Projekt’s trilogy, has Witchers that were trained in various schools, eventually picking up skills and abilities from these schools. Protagonist Geralt, for instance is from the school of the Wolf, as signified by his medallion. There have also been characters and even pieces of equipment referencing other Witcher schools.
The next game in the series – The Witcher 4 – is currently in development for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. The title will see Ciri takeover from Geralt as its main protagonist, and there have been hints in its original announcement trailer that there might also be a new Witcher school involved in the story in some way. The title doesn’t yet have a release date, however.
