Netflix’s adaptation of The Witcher may have released to lukewarm critic reviews but the show became an instant hit with viewers around the globe. However, showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich recently said that she’s a fan of the video games and “can only hope” the show is as successful as the CD Projekt RED titles.
Hissrich made this comment in a podcast while discussing why she chose to adapt the books instead of the video games. She said:
The answer [to why the show adapts the books] is very simple though and it’s that the video games are are based on the books. They are an adaptation of the books. For me it didn’t make sense to make an adaptation of an adaptation of something.
What that does is allow us to tell The Witcher story but just in a different way. I think a lot of video game fans are concerned that we’re taking something from them. That we’re usurping something that’s theirs. And the truth is, I love the video games. They are not going anywhere. They are insanely successful. I can only hope that our show is that successful. The video games aren’t going anywhere and the books aren’t going anywhere. This is just a third way to enjoy these same characters and this same world.
That said, Netflix’s The Witcher deserves credit for the recent spike in The Witcher III: Wild Hunt‘s sales alongside the books’ sales.
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