In an interview with the Polish publication Chip, the lead screenwriter of the first The Witcher, Artur Ganszyniec, stated that the main problem of the remake is not the graphics, but the attempt to combine a possible open world structure with the narrative pace of the original. According to Ganszyniec, simply increasing the size of locations does not solve old problems, but only creates new ones.
If we open up the locations, there will be more space, which means more content will be needed. The pace and scale of the entire project will immediately change. In the first The Witcher, many scenes worked because we knew exactly where the player was at a given moment.
He gave an example from the fifth act of the game, where events unfold around Lake Vizima. In an open world, the player could simply get into a boat and immediately go to the desired estate, bypassing part of the intended route. For the player, this would seem convenient, but for screenwriters and designers, it would become a serious headache.
Ganszyniec emphasized that turning the remake into a full-fledged open-world RPG would require huge investments of time and money. Developers will have to constantly balance player freedom and narrative control.
At some point, a pragmatic question arises: when does multiplying paths stop being profitable? You can endlessly invest time and budget, but will it bring an infinite number of new players?