Witcher 3 Developers Discuss Challenges of Ultra-Realistic NPCs: ‘Women Were Accidentally Dropping Their Babies’

CD Projekt Red’s dedication to realism played a key role in making The Witcher 3 one of the most captivating open-world RPGs of its time. However, this focus on authenticity led to some amusing challenges during development, particularly when it came to programming NPCs to react to Geralt in believable ways. One notable issue was mothers dropping their babies whenever the monster hunter entered their homes.

“Since we concentrated on the countryside, it was easier for players to become curious,” quest designer Philipp Weber shared. “If a village has only eight houses, players want to see if the inhabitants are genuinely part of the world or just a facade. Many players today are keen on those kinds of details, and it really came back to bite us.”

In The Witcher 3, NPCs didn’t have specific schedules for day and night, but they did engage in various activities like chopping wood or enjoying meals. These routines allowed them to move around the environment, creating a more vibrant world rather than just standing still as background elements. The developers aimed for these characters to react to Geralt if he interrupted their tasks, such as brandishing his weapons in their cozy cottages.

“Our NPCs were designed to have fear responses,” Weber explained. “They would drop whatever they were doing, that item would hit the ground, and they’d flee in fear. The issue arose because one of the actions mothers could perform was holding and cradling a baby. For a few weeks, we had women dropping their babies left and right.”

Fear reactions have become a staple in modern open-world games, enhancing interactivity and addressing the immersion break that occurs when players engage with NPCs who stick rigidly to their scripts. However, this was a more significant challenge during the early 2010s when The Witcher 3 was in development. Personally, I think they should have retained the fear response for at least one side quest; the writers could have certainly found a creative angle. At least we still have the infamous baby oven moment to remember.