Atari/CD Projekt Red/NetflixFollowing the success of the The Witcher, more people are now playing the original 2015 video game than when it was originally released four years ago.
The success of the new Netflix programme is obviously causing fans to get their Witcher fix elsewhere, since season two won’t be hitting the small screen until 2021.
The Netflix series is now one of the highest rated original series on IMDb, after being given an impressive 8.7/10.
NetflixAccording to Steam, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt presently has more concurrent players than it had on launch day in 2015, breaking its own record of 92,000 by several thousand players. However, these figures are for Steam only, and don’t count players from other platforms.
Henry Cavill, who plays The Witcher himself, aka Geralt of Rivia, is fan of the books and games, and has said he actually prefers playing PC to Xbox or PlayStation.
According to Forbes, the actor’s love for the game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was one of the things that encouraged him to go for the role of Geralt, and after watching the series I’m sure many fans are glad he decided to do so.
Cavill’s portrayal of Geralt takes inspiration from the video game character, which is evident in some of his scenes – one of the most recognisable almost certainly being the iconic bathtub scene.
NetflixJust days after the show’s release on Netflix, the reviews were mixed to say the least. While fans seemed to love Henry Cavill, one particular review from Entertainment Weekly suggested viewers skip ahead to the fifth episode without bothering to watch the first few, because ‘life’s too short for Netflix drama running times’.
Following some rather harsh reviews, The Witcher showrunner Lauren Hissich took to Twitter to express how she’s not bothered about the professionals’ views and cares about what the fans think.
The tweet read:
Who do I care about? “Professional” critics who watched one episode and skipped ahead? Or REAL fans who watched all eight in one day, and are starting their rewatch?
Many people have sweetly written me, upset about the #Witcher reviews. Know this:
Who do I care about? "Professional" critics who watched one episode and skipped ahead? Or REAL fans who watched all eight in one day, and are starting their rewatch?
I am fucking THRILLED.😉❤️
— Lauren S. Hissrich (@LHissrich) December 22, 2019
At least the gaming statistics suggest Netflix’s adaptation has reignited their love for the game, or introduced new fans to the game all together.
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Niamh Shackleton is a pint sized person and journalist at UNILAD. After studying Multimedia Journalism at the University of Salford, she did a year at Caters News Agency as a features writer in Birmingham before deciding that Manchester is (arguably) one of the best places in the world, and therefore moved back up north. She’s also UNILAD’s unofficial crazy animal lady.