Fans of the books and subsequent TV show will immediately recognize Jaskier, whose name was changed to Dandelion for the games.Īll that said, you should read and find out for yourself just how similar – and different – these three iterations are from one another. This allowed CD Projekt Red to take more creative liberties without the confines of a strict adaptation.Ī notable, albeit small, change that won’t reveal any spoilers is the name of the loveable bard. That is in part because the games are set after the conclusion of the last book in The Witcher series. Regarding how similar the video games are to the books, it is important to note that the games, and the changes, are not considered canon in The Witcher universe. Notably, fans of the games will notice that Triss’s hair is considerably redder in the latest season compared to the first. In the second season, there was a subtle change to character appearances in the show to become more similar to the game’s character portrayal. While the games were merely inspired by the book series and the TV show is an adaptation from the books, it is clear Netflix is pulling some inspiration from the games. However, author Andrzej Sapkowski has given a nod of approval to Henry Cavill’s portrayal of Geralt and the appearance of the character. While the first season primarily stuck to events from The Last Wish as the show conducted its world-building, changes really became apparent in the second season for where the creative team would like to take the show. So, you may be asking yourself how similar are the games and TV show to the source material?ĭespite Cavill’s dedication to the cause, there are some heavy deviations from the books in the second season of the TV adaptation, which has received mix reactions from fans. Are The Witcher Adaptations Similar to the Books? The reception to the show has been enthusiastic and it was renewed for a third season, albeit without Henry Cavill.

The first season premiered in 2019, with the second season being released in December 2021. The third game, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, sold nearly 10 million copies in its first year alone.īut if you didn’t first discover the character of Geralt through the video games, you might be more familiar with the Netflix TV show. The Witcher was the first game CD Projekt Red developed and it has obviously received tremendous success. Collectively, the games have now sold more than 50 million copies worldwide and expanded into console and handheld platforms as well as PC. In the first 10 months following The Witcher’s PC release in 2007, it sold 800,000 copies worldwide. The video game series features 3 main games, 2 expansions, and 3 spin-offs. As we’ve already mentioned, The Witcher books have inspired both games and a TV show.

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