The Witcher 3's a generational game - that part's pretty uncontroversial. But the one aspect of the RPG that makes gamers everywhere butt heads and become keyboard warriors is its love triangle. Triss or Yennefer? That's why it shocked me to learn that such a pivotal decision was actually introduced late into development.
The news comes courtesy of CD Projekt Red co-CEO Adam Badowski, who tells PC Gamer that the love triangle wasn't part of The Witcher 3's romance options at first. "But at some point we understood that this lack of kind of conflict, personal conflict – of course, there's Ciri – but there was a lack of something," Badowski explains.
While being largely absent from the rest of the trilogy, Yennefer barges into the game and Geralt's existing relationship with all the force of a truck transporting dumbbells. As Badowski describes, Geralt needed to struggle with something a little extra, but I think Yennefer's inclusion also makes this finale feel a little more final, as if Geralt is tying up loose ends and finally growing up.
"This decision was made pretty late, but it was great," the CDPR boss continued. "It was a great decision." In hindsight, a love triangle is kinda the perfect romantic conundrum to put over the shoulders of a pre-made RPG hero. Geralt already has a complicated history with these two women that he can't ignore, which probably explains why The Witcher 3's romances inspire almost as much debate as Final Fantasy 7's Tifa vs Aerith.
It's also a nice, more intimate change of pace compared to Baldur's Gate 3's overwhelming horniness or Avowed's celibacy – both of which are also valid. At least we have RPGs, no matter your temperament nowadays.
And if you're at all curious to know which side of the shipping wars Badowski is fighting for, well, "My choice will always be Yennefer," he said. For the indecisive among us, you can always choose both and then end up with neither.
