The Witcher novelist has never played a game, doesn't "feel like a co-author" of CDP's series

Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski's large body of short stories and novels has provided the basis for CD Projekt RED's The Witcher and The Witcher 2, but Sapkowski isn't interested in playing either of them. Speaking to Eurogamer , Sapkowski praised the games, but said that he has "never played any computer games," only saw art from The Witcher, and doesn't "feel like a co-author of the game."

At risk of sounding ageist, it's not surprising that the 64-year-old author has other hobbies. More interesting is his take on the games' relationship to his work. "The game—with all due respect to it, but let's finally say it openly—is not an 'alternative version', nor a sequel," said Sapkowski. "The game is a free adaptation containing elements of my work; an adaptation created by different authors."

"Maybe it's time to set the matters straight," he continued later. "'The Witcher' is a well made video game, its success is well deserved and the creators deserve all the splendor and honor due. But in no way can it be considered to be an 'alternative version', nor a 'sequel' to the witcher Geralt stories. Because this can only be told by Geralt's creator. A certain Andrzej Sapkowski."

On the topic of possible cross-overs between the games and his writing, Sapkowski said that he finds it "terrible" that we're becoming accustomed to "the strange convergence of media and the freedom of mixing them," and that "the idea to write 'adjuvant content' and create something 'complementary' to a game or a comic is an absolute pinnacle of idiocy."

In response to Eurogamer's story, CD Projekt RED Studio Head Adam Badowski passed along a comment to clarify the studio's relationship with Sapkowski and his novels.

"Our cooperation has a strict and defined direction," wrote Badowski. "I can't imagine Andrzej Sapkowski playing a game to do research for the new novels. This is unlikely and would look like writing a book for a game or movie release, which ends badly in most cases; the novel winds up in a collector's edition and then covers with dust somewhere on the gamer's shelf.

"We want to develop The Witcher's universe in other media, not only video games. We have Mr. Sapkowsk's blessing and what we create is in line with his vision of the world, no matter how the saga will evolve."

You can read the entire interview with Sapkowski, as well as Badowski's response, over at Eurogamer .