Four years ago, CD Projekt RED delivered one of the best role-playing games ever with The Witcher 3. An adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy book series, the trilogy-making sequel was lavished with critical acclaim upon release back in 2015, not just for its technical achievements, but an incredible narrative and gameplay to boot. As is natural for single-player titles, of course, player numbers for the modern masterpiece have steadily declined over the years to a modest few thousand. Until recently, that is.
In case you somehow hadn’t heard, Netflix’s latest original series based on Sapkowski’s works has proven to be a massive hit with fans, instantly rising to the top of the streaming service’s highest-rated content. Standing shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Stranger Things and House of Cards, The Witcher has already been greenlit for a second season due to air sometime in 2021, but that’s not the only knock-on effect of its popularity.
Confirming the impressive news over on Twitter, CD Projekt RED community lead Marcin Momot confirmed that player numbers for The Witcher 3 on Valve’s Steam platform have reached a brand new high.
To put that data into perspective, player tracking website Steam Charts notes that within the last 30 days, The Witcher 3 has seen an eye-watering increase in traffic of 92.55%. Peak players in November 2019 reached a high of 26,594 concurrent players while as of writing, they’re just shy of 100,000 on a daily basis. It’s worth noting that this recent spike could be attributed, in part, to the holiday season, but it’s clear as day that Netflix’s new heavyweight is the major contributor in this instance.
As more and more viewers experience Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer and Ciri’s live-action adventures on the Continent, we’ve no doubt that The Witcher 3‘s resurgence in popularity will grow even further, but for now, this is an achievement in itself. Proof enough that there’s an appetite for The Witcher 4? Absolutely. Fingers crossed that CD Projekt has already reached the same conclusion.
