The announcement of The Witcher Remake is an excellent surprise for fans of the series, yet it comes with the question of whether or not it will include one of the best aspects of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The Witcher’s in-universe card game, Gwent, is one of the best mini-games ever made and has earned massive popularity from fans. It has since become synonymous with The Witcher franchise, so The Witcher Remake would feel amiss if Gwent wasn’t incorporated somehow. Conveniently, a small detail in the original release of The Witcher sets up the card game’s appearance in the remake.
On its own, The Witcher 3 is an incredible game, to be sure. However, Gwent’s impact on it and the fandom shouldn’t be understated. The card game was such a hit that CD Projekt Red developed a standalone version available on consoles and mobile, Gwent: The Witcher Card Game, which features the Rogue Mage expansion, exploring the first Witcher’s origins. It has even gone on to generate its own eSports league. So it would be a huge missed opportunity if The Witcher Remake neglects to feature Gwent in the same capacity as in The Witcher 3.
Gwent Has To Return In The Witcher Remake
Gwent originated from Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher novels, though it was pretty different from the version famously featured in The Witcher 3. In English translations of Sapkowski’s work, the title of the game is Barrel. The rules are only vaguely described but differ from The Witcher 3’s version in that it seems closer to a traditional card game. The differences make it easy to understand Barrel as an entirely different in-universe card game. However, it is generally accepted by the fandom that Barrel and Gwent are one and the same. Funnily enough, Geralt in the books is still confused by the game, a charming attribute that helped make The Witcher 3’s Geralt so great.
Gwent was absent from the original Witcher and The Witcher 2, having been introduced in The Witcher 3. However, there is a subtle hint in the original Witcher that indicates Gwent existed in the game universe before The Witcher 3. When Geralt travels to Little Mahakam, the non-human district of Vizima, he can listen to the NPCs chatting about various things. One dwarf mentions losing in Gwent and accuses his opponent of cheating.
When the original Witcher launched, this was merely an Easter egg for hardcore fans of Sapkowski’s novels. In retrospect, this tiny, easily missed reference carries much more excitement for Gwent fans. It confirms that the game was played on The Continent during the game’s events and sets up a lore-friendly explanation for the addition of Gwent in The Witcher Remake.
