Songs of the Past will complete The Witcher 3's story with Dandelion, CD Projekt Red says

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Gamescom, Jakub Rokosz, CEO of Fool's Theory and game director on Songs of the Past, explained why Dandelion needed his own story. "There's a misconception of him being this comedic relief, and this is his only role in the Witcher series," he said. "He's a very deep and intelligent character. He used to be a professor at Oxenfurt Academy, and he writes beautiful poetry. We want to show players what's behind that mask."

Senior quest designer Despoina Anetaki said a late expansion is justified because the team felt an essential part of the original narrative was missing. "The story we tell is complete. This is part of The Wild Hunt, and it felt like a chapter was missing," she said. "Once we identified that important thing, it all clicked together." The expansion sends Geralt to Dandelion's homeland, Letten, to investigate a new supernatural mystery. Developers went back to the source novels to shape the story, and declined to say whether it would tie into The Witcher 4.

Rokosz explained that the expansion presented technological hurdles that could only be solved with the remaster's engine and gameplay changes. "When we started prototyping the area, it was impossible to ride with a horse through it," he said, mentioning dense vegetation and forests. A large lake in the middle of Letten, complete with distant fisherman, also stressed the engine. "The remaster helped with applying optimization."

Songs of the Past is expected to launch in 2027. The Witcher 3 Remastered, which brings visual overhauls, a reworked combat system, new Witcher Signs and transmogrification, will be free for existing owners on September 29.