Long before CD Projekt Red opted to delay The Witcher III: Wild Hunt, every report relating to the game brought word of its impressive, almost unprecedented scale. In fact, according to recent Twitter Q&A hosted by Senior Game Designer Damien Monnier, the hotly-anticipated threequel will boast close to 200 hours of content for the completionists.
Responding to a fan who wanted to know the length of the game including side-quests and other additional distractions, here’s what Monnier had to say:
@Ryldux mmmm hard to say, if you do everything I d say 200+ hours.
— Damien Monnier (@Bacon_is_life) March 29, 2015
200 hours is certainly an eye-watering running time for Wild Hunt, whether you’re chomping at the bit to see out the conclusive chapter in Geralt of Rivia’s tale, or only mildly interested in Projekt Red’s sequel. This recent revelation also dovetails with previous reports about the game’s length, which is said to boast 36 unique endings.
Bestowing the player with a tremendous amount of content is no doubt welcome, particularly for an high-profile entry into the open-world genre, but when studios cram in an overwhelming amount of meaningless content simply to extend the length of the experience, it becomes tedious. That’s not to say that The Witcher III: Wild Hunt will fall foul to this controversial ploy, but now that the threequel has persevered through a trio of delays, it’s fair to say that the community would prefer quality over quantity.
After a prolonged wait, The Witcher III: Wild Hunt is due to arrive on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on May 19. In the meantime, you can share your thoughts on Monnier’s comments down below.
