‘That was a mistake, I think’: The Witcher 1’s lead writer says the story team didn’t know about its twist ending

February 19, 2026 - 05:10

In a surprising revelation, Artur Ganszyniec, the lead writer on the original The Witcher game, has admitted that the story team was unaware of the game’s final twist during development. The now-iconic conclusion, which sees the amnesiac Geralt regain his memories and confront the mysterious Grandmaster, was apparently decided upon and implemented without the narrative team's full knowledge.

Ganszyniec reflected that this lack of communication was a mistake, stating the writing team had envisioned a more ambiguous, open-ended finale for the 2007 RPG. The imposed twist, while impactful for players, created a narrative disconnect for the writers who had been crafting the story's path.

This behind-the-scenes insight highlights the sometimes chaotic and compartmentalized nature of game development, especially for a title that was a risky venture for CD Projekt Red at the time. Despite the internal oversight, The Witcher launched to critical acclaim, with its story and characters laying the essential groundwork for the globally successful franchise it would become. The confession underscores how creative processes can be messy, even when the final product is ultimately celebrated by fans worldwide.