With the current immense popularity of theWitcherfranchise, people are paying more attention to Polish writerAndrzej Sapkowski, the author of the originalWitcherbooks. Being the person whose work led to the popular Netflix adaptation ofThe Witcherand the highly-acclaimed video games from CD Projekt RED, fans are more curious than ever to hear Sapkowski’s thoughts on how the franchise is faring nowadays.
io9 recently got the opportunity to hear just that, having interviewed Sapkowski this past weekend. The interview saw Sapkowski talk with frankness and honesty about a number ofWitcher-related topics, and this included theWitchergames. When asked about how he wouldcompare theWitchergames to the Netflix show, he admitted that he couldn’t, because he’s never actually played them.
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That could be interpreted as a jab against CD Projekt RED and its takes onThe Witcher, but he made it clear that it’s only because he’s never been interested in video games in general. “Video games are simply not for me, I prefer books as entertainment,” he said, stating that the only games he has played since he was a kid are card games like bridge and poker.
More than that, though, Sapkowski said he couldn’t compare the games and the show because the mediums of TV and video games are “too different in approach, making—and objective.” Where TV is meant to let viewers experience a story passively, video games ask players to take an active role in bringing them to life. This is especially true of theWitchergames,likeThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, whose narratives can be altered by players’ decisions. As Sapkowski illustrated, “You cannot compare spaghetti carbonara with a bicycle. Even though both have advantages and disadvantages.”
Besides the topic of comparison, Sapkowski revealed that he wasn’t heavily involved with the production of the Netflix show, sticking mainly to an adviser role. He gave two reasons for this, the first being that he strongly believes in “the freedom of an artist and his artistic expression” and didn’t want to impose his views onThe Witcher’s showrunner Lauren Hissrichand the rest of the people creating the adaptation. The second is much simpler and much more honest: “I do not like working too hard or too long. By the way, I do not like working at all.”
At the moment, fans ofThe Witcherseries have a second season to look forward to 2021, along witha recently-announced anime-style movie. Anticipation is high for both of these, but Sapkowski capped off the interview by stressing the importance of managing one’s expectations. “Allow me to quote Joe Abercrombie, the author whose books are very much to my liking: ‘Life is, basically, fking sh. Best to keep your expectations low. Maybe you’ll be pleasantly surprised,’” he said.
