History Trivia / TheWitcher

* TheWikiRule: For both the novels and the game
** [[http://witcher.wikia.com/wiki/Witcher_Wiki The Unofficial one on Wikia]].
*** [[https://witcher.gamepedia.com/Witcher_Wiki The Official one on GamePedia]].

* NoExportForYou: Zig-Zagged. For a while, the novels were ''not'' available outside of Poland, the Czech Republic, and a few central European countries (and the further you got from those nations? The more and more obscure they became). The success of the video games was what caused this trope to be averted... but predominately for European markets and in English speaking countries. For those in Latin America, ''The Witcher'' remained fairly obscure until the 2019 series.

* FriendshipOnTheSet: Anya Chalotra (Yennefer) and Joey Batey (Jaskier) describe themselves as best friends both on and off the set, having grown very close during filming. They frequently give interviews together and have a lot of fun.

* NoExportForYou: Zig-Zagged. For a while, the novels were ''not'' available outside of Poland, the Czech Republic, and a few central European countries (and the further you got from those nations? The more and more obscure they became). The success of the video games was what caused this trope to be averted... but predominately for European markets and in English speaking countries. For those in Latin America, ''The Witcher'' remained fairly obscure until the 2019 series.

** A remake of the first game for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 titled ''The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf'' was announced in 2008. It was intended to have the same story as the PC Enhanced Edition, but feature a new engine and combat system more in line with the then-upcoming sequel ''VideoGame/TheWitcher2AssassinsOfKings''. However, it was cancelled in 2009 due to disagreements between CD Projekt Red and co-developer Widescreen Games. However, in 2012, a group of modders ''endorsed by CD Projekt Red'' began work on an ambitious mod for the PC Enhanced Edition that introduced new story elements, a seriously overhauled interface, and updated graphics. The mod was released in 2014 to great acclaim and is now seen by many as the best way to play the original.

* NoExportForYou: Zig-Zagged. For a while, the novels were ''not'' available outside of Poland, the Czech Republic, and a few central European countries (and the further you got from those nations? The more and more obscure they became). The success of the video games were what caused this trope to be averted... but predominately for European markets and in English speaking countries. For those in Latin America, ''The Witcher'' remained fairly obscure until the 2019 series.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Then pre-production for the ''Series/TheHexer'' started, Andrzej Sapkowski was offered to simply [[SelfAdaptation pen the script himself]] or at least work with Michał Szczerbic (who was attached to the project from the start). He refused on a very simple grounds: when he was approached about it, he just finished writing ''Literature/BaptismOfFire'' and was on a tight schedule to finish rest of the saga, with remaining two books ahead of him. Then his relationship with the production execs soured before he even finished writing and ultimately set him against the adaptation. Not only this greatly affected the final result, creating both production problems and affecting quality of the series due to [[WritingAroundTrademarks copyright shinenigans]], but, more importantly, permanently affected Sapkowski's perception toward just about anyone trying to adopt his works or use them for anything. His [[ItWillNeverCatchOn dismissive attitude]] toward the plans of the first video game (and then bitter resentment of their success) can be traced all the way back to that, just like the FlipFlopOfGod attitude toward any adaptation. All because he was approached too early about prospect of working as a script writer.

** A remake of the first game for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 titled ''The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf'' was announced in 2008. It was intended to have the same story as the PC Enhanced Edition, but feature a new engine and combat system more in line with the then-upcoming sequel ''VideoGame/TheWitcher2AssassinsOfKings''. However, it was cancelled in 2009 due to disagreements between CD Projekt Red and co-developer Widescreen Games.

* WordOfDante: Since the author has a rather ShrugOfGod-style attitude, many world-building details were filled out by the fandom, the tabletop game, and finally the video games. The world map is probably the best example, as no map has ever been included in the novels. Even then it's just one of several versions circulating in the fandom.

** There was a ''Witcher'' game in development from 1996-97 by Metropolis Software House, although it went nowhere and was unofficially cancelled. Interestingly, many of its supposed features (Geralt as the protagonist, dark and mature story, choice-based narrative) would be carried over into Creator/CDProjektRED's Witcher games over a decade later.

* WordOfSaintPaul: It is generally accepted among the fandom that Korin from ''Road of no return'' was Geralt's biological father. However, it was not Sapkowski who came up with this idea, but rather Maciej Parowski, writer of the comic book adaptation.

** The preview material for this project was the [[OlderThanTheyThink first time]] "Witcher" was used as an English translation of ''Wiedźmin'', before the film went with "Hexer".

* DisownedAdaptation: ZigZagged. Sapkowski stated that while [[https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-03-24-meeting-andrzej-sapkowski-the-writer-who-created-the-witcher he respects]] Creator/CDProjektRED's storytelling abilities, he does not consider the games to be {{canon}}. After the release of ''Wild Hunt'', he became more hostile toward CD Projekt over their perceived mistreatment of the franchise, primarily over the AdaptationDisplacement the games have caused to the original novels, regardless of reignited popularity of the books and their multilanguage translations. Sapkowski eventually hired a lawyer and attempted to sue CD Projekt in 2018 for having not received any money from their profits of the game series (despite selling them for a pocket change on his own without securing any further rights to any profits), as he had made a deal with CD Projekt when they created the first Witcher game. The case was dropped soon after, and the two would later sign a partnership deal, ending the feud.

* ScheduleSlip: There was a 5-year wait between the English translations of ''Literature/BloodOfElves'' and ''Literature/TheTimeOfContempt'' owing to problems with the publisher and the original translator's schedule, but the series seems to be back on track.

* SleeperHit: The first game was a PC-only single player CRPG released in 2007 by a newly formed development studio, backed by a publisher largely unknown outside eastern Europe, along with being published internationally [[Creator/{{Atari}} a company that was slowly losing relevancy year by year,]] based off a fantasy setting almost unheard of in the English-speaking world. It proceeded to sell over a million copies in its first year of release. The success was such a surprise that the studio more or less apologized for their shoestring-budget hack job of a localization by using some of their windfall to produce a much more polished UpdatedRerelease with an expanded script and fully rerecorded voice acting.

* SleeperHit: The first game was a PC-only single player CRPG released in 2007 by a newly formed development studio, backed by a publisher largely unknown outside eastern Europe, based off a fantasy setting almost unheard of in the English-speaking world. It proceeded to sell over a million copies in its first year of release. The success was such a surprise that the studio more or less apologized for their shoestring-budget hack job of a localization by using some of their windfall to produce a much more polished UpdatedRerelease with an expanded script and fully rerecorded voice acting.