Modder remakes scrapped alternate ending for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Deleted content explores what could have been.
Alternate video game endings are always fun to see. If a talented modder remakes an alternate ending previously scrapped by the game’s developer, it’s even better. Someone did just that, putting together an alternate ending for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt using footage that was originally discarded by CD Projekt Red.
YouTuber xLetalis shared a video detailing the restorations that modder Glassfish added to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt after the end of the game’s original storyline. (Note that some spoilers for the game follow!) The game ends with Geralt being pulled out of his fight with Eredin by Yennefer, his potential partner and sorceress. However, the remade cutscene shows Geralt waking up in a tent and receiving care from two doctors making a bet on his survival rate. From there, he leaves the hospital and talks to Yennefer, whose dialogue varies depending on whether he’s romancing her or another sorceress, Triss. Regardless of who Geralt was dating in the original game, you can ask where Ciri is or who won the war.
The extended ending continues with more deleted content, including Geralt attending Crach’s funeral, him meeting the Lodge of Sorceresses, and Yennefer betraying the Lodge to save Ciri. xLetalis speculated towards the end of the video that CD Projekt Red changed their minds about including Yennefer’s betrayal in the final game for creative reasons such as prioritizing matching the player's motivations with the beat of the story, as they have no insider or PR connections within the company to confirm it.
The restoration of the deleted content by Glassfish was made possible by CD Projekt Red releasing the REDkit modding tool for the PC version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in May. The company announced the modding tool last year to allow PC players to breathe new life into the game in any way they wish. REDkit was previously released for The Witcher 2, but as far as we know it wasn’t used to insert previously-scrapped scenes into the game as we’re seeing now. As for the origin of the deleted content, Glassfish pulled it from content that was cut from the main game but is still in the game’s files.