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Some Witcher 3 Fans Aren’t Too Happy With New Remastered Footage
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
CD Projekt Red’s promotional comparison for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered has provoked widespread fan criticism, with many viewers saying the 2015 original looks better. The 11-second clip showed Geralt casting Igni at a Drowner in a marsh, but instead of praising the graphical improvements, fans objected to the remaster’s less vivid colours and weaker-looking reflections.
The original footage appears to have a stronger orange glow and more dynamic fire reflected in the water. Alongside visual changes, the free remaster adds improved animations, overhauled combat, better movement and mount handling, revised enemy behaviour, a redesigned skill tree, cross-platform mod support and accessibility features; existing owners will also receive the expansions free, ahead of the paid Songs of the Past expansion planned for next year.
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In short
- Fans think the 2015 game looks better than the remaster.
- Colour and water reflections drew the strongest criticism.
- The free overhaul adds major gameplay and accessibility improvements.
How this story developed
- 2 months ago CD Projekt Red's marketing strategy for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered backfired when comparison footage with the 2015 original sparked overwhelming fan backlash on social media.
- 2 months ago CD Projekt Red's upcoming Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered encountered unexpected fan backlash following the release of comparison footage showing the revamped version alongside the 2015 original.
- 2 months ago CD Projekt Red’s promotional comparison for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered has provoked widespread fan criticism, with many viewers saying the 2015 original looks better.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The promotional comparison explicitly shows the original's more vivid colours and stronger fire reflections appearing superior to the remaster. When CD Projekt Red chose to make this direct visual comparison, they implicitly committed to demonstrating improvement, making the apparent visual step backward a legitimate concern about the remastering work itself.
The case against
The remaster's value extends substantially beyond the visual elements shown in one brief marketing clip. The package incorporates significant improvements to animations, combat mechanics, movement and accessibility features alongside expanded free content—elements that a single 11-second comparison cannot adequately capture. The visual direction change may be deliberate and cohesive in full gameplay, and this one clip may not fairly represent the remaster's actual in-game quality.
Explained simply
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a widely acclaimed role-playing game released by Polish studio CD Projekt Red in 2015, and it has maintained a dedicated fan base for over a decade. The studio is preparing to release a remastered version next week, featuring improved graphics, animations, combat mechanics, and accessibility options. This remaster will be free for anyone who already owns the original game, making it accessible to the existing player base.
CD Projekt Red shared video footage intended to showcase the visual enhancements of the remaster by placing it side-by-side with the 2015 original. However, fans and players on social media overwhelmingly argued that the original version looked superior, particularly criticising the remaster's handling of colours and light reflections. This unexpected negative response has presented a public relations challenge for the studio just before the release.
Beyond the remaster, CD Projekt Red has announced an expansion called Songs of the Past, planned for 2027, which will be comparable in scale to the studio's previous major expansion Blood and Wine. The release represents the studio's long-term vision for the game, though the recent fan backlash has complicated the narrative surrounding the remaster's launch.