CD Projekt Red probably wasn’t expecting The Witcher 3 to last as long as it has. It’s still a stunning game, and its narrative can keep you zoned in for the long haul. So, while the studio likely wasn’t keen on releasing official mod tools initially for the game, it was clear they had to years later. If you were wondering what took the developers so long to get the game’s mod kit out to the public, there were more than a few obstacles in their way.
Thanks to PC Gamer, we’re discovering that CD Projekt Red opened up about releasing the mod kit during a GDC panel. It was during this presentation that they noted a few issues that came up. For starters, they had first to rework the engine to allow modders to create content. Modders already have a variety of tools to help with this process and make things a little more streamlined. That meant REDkit also needed to have the ability to allow modders to import files to the game.
But what might be more interesting for some of you is that CD Projekt Red had to clear out a lot of coding. While developing The Witcher 3, various members of the team would leave content within the coding as jokes among other developers. An example was given of an image discovered that featured Geralt wearing Cyberpunk 2077-style clothing. Then, there were various notes in the coding for developers to reference.
Some of the content left in the coding was also deemed leaked worthy. It could have been content meant for future game projects or cut material. Whatever the case, the team spent a lot of time going through the coding and removing whatever was needed before fans could start looking through the files.
At the end of the day, while it took CD Projekt Red quite a while to release official mod tools, it was worth it. There is now a far more accessible way for modders to continue adding new features, items, and even quests to The Witcher 3 as fans of the franchise wait for developers to release The Witcher 4. In fact, new developers prepared themselves to work on The Witcher 4 by developing new content for The Witcher 3. You can read more about that story right here.
