PCGH: Be honest: Aren't you sick to hear about the graphics downgrade?
Fabian (CD project): It's part of my job. I understand the discussion. There are positive sites to my job like reading positive tests or positive user feedback . But there are also negative sides, especially when a game is really big.
PCGH: Do you have understanding for players compareing current and previous trailer to uncover any kind downgrade?
Fabian (CD project): Personaly no, but I understand their motivations. Not everybody knows how a game is created. And in the past, there were a few games where the discrepancy between gameplay trailers and final graphics was gigantic. That's why I understand when players start to worry due to this negative experiences, even for the Witcher 3. Although the concerns are unnecessary.
PCGH: Why do you think that the issue escalated with The Witcher3?
Fabian (CD project): The Witcher 3 has become very large over the years as a game. That is why the fans started to expect a daily news update, but we are not able to deliver that. That is why suddenly issues started to appear larger then they are in real life. Such "non-news" - and I am not talking about the current debata - are everywhere. Brad Pitt is disadvantageous photographed while shopping leads to people assuming that he gained weight. Does he has a crisis at home? Maybe emotional eating? Such topics are then inflated out of the ordinary. Topics frow larger then they deserve to be.
PCGH: Are the consoles really "to blame" for the fact that the PC version of The Witcher 3 looks worse than it might look like?
Fabian (CD project): No. We made quite early clear that we are developing 'both' versions independently. We started on PC and have a sepperate team and an own development for PC. Effects that does not work on consoles,are still being kept on PC. There are features on the PC, which does not exist on consoles. These include the 60 fps, Hairworks, the draw distance, the resolution. On a good PC you have the best version of The Witcher 3. The PC version looks better on such a PC as on consoles.
PCGH: How important are the gameplay trailer for the marketing of games these days?
Fabian (CD project): Very important. The Witcher 3 was postponed multiple times, so the game was accompanied through a very long period of time with videos. First we had teasers, then gameplay trailers. But you have to differentiate between so-called Work in Progress and gameplay footage. Nothing has been concealed in our videos and they were marked as work in progress,
PCGH: Who decides at the Witcher 3 (aka CDPR) at which time you are realising what kind of trailer?
Fabian (CD project): This is marketing driven, coordinated with partners. Of course there are milestones like E3 or Gamescomand and the release date. In between, there are videos for fans to communicate important features.
PCGH: Users want early gameplay videos, best for all platforms simultaneously. At the same time games are developed over years and the published videos are from different development stages. A conflict seems inevitable.
Fabian (CD project): Yes, absolutely. We have for very, very long shown PC footage only. Then there was pressure to show console footage because people started to think that the console version weren't being shown because,they looked poorley or weren't even inexistence. Of course the console versions were behind in development because we started development at a later point for them. In that kind of situation you appear to be implausible as a developer, regardless of whether you show all or nothing. You can only lose. Then came the first console video that really looked good, and because of that the whole downgrade debate started. I just wanted to go out and start screaming at that moment.
PCGH: Why don't you make your own comparison videos to make sure that everything is compared fair?
Fabian (CD project): Yes, you can do that, theoretically, but the result would be the same anyway. Because there are just too many variables. People are watching that kind of videos on mobile phones in 240p or on UHD display, then there is Youtube compression, and of course each user has different ideas. An example: We have added dynamic weather in the course of development. Suddenly the scenes look different. Everything was rather dark, today there are also brighter scenes. On the Internet, there are always people who are quibbling over details.
Console People who are already able to play The Witcher 3 are likeing the graphics - we see that based on feedback. Then there are people who believe that the crack in the wall suddenly looks much worse than before. Does it really matter?
PCGH: What would your say to PC fans, who are unsure of how well the PC version is going to look compared to the consoles?
Fabian (CD project): I would view current PC footage (eg the ultra / 4K videos on PCGH.) Anyone who has doubts should wait for tests or benchmarks. We keep on saying: Wait and do not buy the game immediatly. Ask other people who already own the game how it runs for them. I am pretty sure that those people will recommend the witcher 3. I know how people react the moment they see the witcher 3 for the first time: They are very pleasantly surprised and ask: "how is it possible for the game to look that good?". Nobody has to worry about the Witcher 3.
It's all about the big picture, and people forgot about that in the current debate. You can not compare screenshots from 2013 with a YouTube-Video from 2015. The game has changed. Direct X has changed. In 2013 we had issues with the lightning system everything was over-sharpened. The game looks different today than in 2013. The game has been developed further.
I would really love to see an upgrade discussion. So many things have changed since 2013. We have more monsters, better animations, new content, the dynamic weather. And one thing makes me really sad: Nobody talks abouthe story and the incredibly dense atmosphere.
