The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Photo credit: thewitcher.com)

Geralt of Rivia needs no introduction. But if you’re someone still not acquainted, here’s some news. The Witcher, CD Projekt Red’s flagship game franchise based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy novels (and short stories) of the same name, has sold over 50 million copies worldwide. While not as phenomenal as GTA 5 in terms of sales numbers, The Witcher crossing the 50 million mark is by no means a small feat.

This is because technically speaking, there have been only three big budget Witcher games so far. The original came out in 2007. It was followed by The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings in 2011. They were good games, but definitely not great games. But then The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt happened in 2015 and the world (of gaming) saw magic. CD Projekt Red has always had  a knack for good storytelling, but Wild Hunt also gave gamers a wide, exhaustive open world filled with all kinds of folklore and monsters to explore beyond their heart’s content. That’s what made it different. That’s what made it great.

Over 50 million adventurers joined Geralt on his journey from Kaer Morhen to Vizima, through Flotsam and Vergen, Velen and Novigrad to Skellige Isles and Toussaint, and many, many more places, time and time again…

Thank you and may we meet on the path again! ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/cZwOup9CEc

— The Witcher (@witchergame) May 28, 2020

You can pick up the Wild Hunt today and you’ll still end up being surprised at the level of detail the makers were able to pull off, five years ago. Wild Hunt is one of those rare games that wants you to explore every nook and cranny, because every time you do, you’ll find something new and breathtaking.

If you think that’s a fan talking, well, let’s talk numbers now. Wild Hunt has passed 28 million copies sold since its launch in May 2015, according to CD Projekt Red’s recent earning calls. That’s already over half of that 50 million figure of The Witcher franchise sales, so we know which one got the better response. Also, before the Wild Hunt happened, CD Projekt Red had managed to sell only 5 million copies of The Witcher, according to a tweet by analyst Daniel Ahmad.

Before The Witcher 3 was announced (Feb 2013), the series as a whole had sold around 5 million units.

Now the series is over 50 million, with The Witcher 3 contributing over 28 million units alone. https://t.co/4vFhnFwVjb

— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) May 28, 2020

There’s also another aspect to Wild Hunt’s surging popularity. The Witcher franchise as a whole sold around 10 million copies in the last one year, which means there’s been a lot of interest and you know why. Netflix. The popular streaming giant adapted the series, which went on to be a massive hit when it was aired in December 2019, generating fresh hype around the game(s) (and also the novels).

The sales numbers are encouraging for CD Projekt Red, especially now, when it’s gearing to launch its next AAA title, Cyberpunk 2077.  Cyberpunk 2077 will have some big shoes to fill, but then again, with Neo or The One as one of the characters, even though he’ll be non-playable, you may never know.

Also Read Xbox Series X will be able to play your older games in HDR and up to 120fps; here’s why it matters