The gaming industry has risen so drastically in popularity over the past decade that game studio developers need big budget publishing companies to help fund and advertise their games. EA (Electronic Arts) has been a juggernaut in the news the past few years and has painted a rather dull picture on publishing companies. Pre-orders and DLC (downloadable content) are some of the results of major gaming publishers trying to squeeze pennies from our pockets. This debate, however, is one best saved for another article.

The Witcher had houses made of wood.

CD Projekt Red is not one of those companies. In fact, they are the complete opposite. The studio that quarterbacks GOG.com, and produced to critical acclaim The Witcher, and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, has humbly accepted our invitation to connect. Here at TechRaptor, we value great connections and feel we have made a great one with this amazing studio. The fellas over in Poland were more than willing to answer some interview questions for a small website company.

In the Witcher 2 wood was flammable.

First and foremost, we wanted to send a massive thank you to Robert Malinowski who was our main point of contact, and facilitated the process for us. Secondly, we would like to thank the studio and the developers for answering our unique questions.

1. How does CD Projekt remain such a communal based developer in the age of mega publishers?

Michał Krzemiński, Senior Art Producer: The answer is simple - we continue to do what allowed us to be where we are today. Supporting gamers, listening to gamers, offering them DRM-free games and so on. The beginnings were hard because no one wanted to take a leap of faith and spearhead the change with us. It’s way easier now because we’ve proven that it’s possible. GOG.com is growing faster than ever, we don’t have to put a bunch of DRM into The Witcher 3 because gamers think - hey, they’re respecting us, we need to respect them.

2. What are the some of the games being played at the office besides the Wild Hunt?

Professionally, we play a lot of stuff to always be up to date. Privately? I mean, we’re gamers! We play the same stuff people all around the world do. During office parties we often organize tournaments: Tekken, Mortal Kombat, FIFA, the works. And party games, too. In the Witcher 3 wood is still flammable

3. The Witcher 3 will revolutionize the action RPG-what was the hardest part of creating such a vast world?

There’s no single thing I could point at and say, yes, this was the hardest. Making games as big as The Witcher is a bit like designing a spaceship, there’s a gazillion things to do and they can all be the “hardest parts” in their respective fields. Remember, CD Projekt RED consists of over 230 professionals and they all play a role in delivering the final game. Come to think of it, from a bird’s-eye view, maintaining coherency and creative direction, putting all this together, that’s difficult. But is it the hardest part? I don’t know.

4. The voice of Geralt- can we know a little about him?

In the English version of the game, Geralt is played by Doug Cockle, a fantastic actor, who’s been with us since The Witcher 1. Doug has managed to infuse Geralt with a lot of personality and continues to do so in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Now that Geralt's face has been upgraded from 4,300 to 6,000 polygons we can see those dimples from his smile.

5. If anything what do you want the players of the Wild Hunt to appreciate the most about this amazing game?

I think the really revolutionary thing is how the game makes fantasy grow up, how it enters the realm of the mature. Our game reflects problems that are not detached from our everyday lives, it tackles issues such as terrorism, ethnical diversity and political struggles, and puts them in a context that allows us to look at them from a greater perspective. The game is not mature because it features blood and sexual intercourse; it’s mature because of how it portrays them and how it treats the gamer. For me, this is the most important aspect. Others may see a plethora of different stuff, from tactical combat to exploring the unknown; it’s all here.

The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt will release later this year on Next-Generation consoles (PS4, XBOX One) and PC. You can pre-order at Amazon, Best Buy, or GameStop.

{Update} The Witcher 3 is now slated for February 2015, as the company wants to makes sure it is as polished as possible. Check out this link on the delay.