As The Witcher 3 Remastered hit shelves today, September 29th, CD Projekt Red has offered its first real glimpse into the tonal direction of the RPG’s long-awaited final expansion, Songs of the Past. The studio’s developers described the upcoming content as “a lot dreamier” than the classic Witcher experience, drawing a direct stylistic parallel to the studio’s acclaimed Blood and Wine DLC while signaling that the new story will lean into something a touch more fantastical than the series’ usual bread-and-butter fare. The expansion, which will be developed in partnership with Fool’s Theory, is not expected to arrive until next year.
A Stylistic Departure From the Norm
Paweł Sasko, a quest designer on The Witcher 3 and now an associate game director on Cyberpunk 2077, spoke to VGC about whether Songs of the Past has drawn influence from Blood and Wine. He framed the base game as the series’ foundational story, with Hearts of Stone serving as an extension of that same approach.
“[The] Witcher 3 is like the bread-and-butter Witcher story. Basically, all the things that you would see in the Witcher story are there. Hearts of Stone is an extension of that. With Blood and Wine, you can see that we experimented with a lot of things because it’s an expansion. So when you look stylistically at the narrative, you can see that it has differences. As developers, we can use this core, expand a little, and be a little more ridiculous. Now, when you look at Songs of the Past, you can see that approach a little bit too. It’s not in a way that is funnier or more ridiculous, but stylistically, when you play the demo, you can feel it a little bit.”
Paweł Sasko, The Witcher 3 quest designer and Cyberpunk 2077 associate game director
Sasko tied this stylistic shift directly to the art direction and music of Songs of the Past, which he described as “a lot dreamier.” Blood and Wine, while still steeped in gothic darkness through Beauclair’s vampire underworld, distinguished itself by offering a more colorful and exotic fairytale atmosphere than the rest of the game. The brief glimpses of Letten’s Belleteyn celebrations shown in the new DLC’s footage appear to share that same dreamlike quality.
Deepening Geralt’s Relationships
Beyond tone, the developers explained why Songs of the Past felt necessary at all. Sasko and Fool’s Theory creative vision director Karolina Kuzia-Rokosz said they wanted the opportunity to explore Geralt’s relationships more deeply—connections that rarely get a spotlight as he and Ciri battle the Wild Hunt in the base game. The bard Dandelion, in particular, takes center stage in the studio’s creative intentions.
“Dandelion is very often the one who actually pierces [Geralt’s emotional] shell. He’s the one who is getting out of Geralt the things that he wouldn’t say. He’s sometimes the voice of reason. Sometimes he’s also a comic relief. But what’s important for us is to show the depth in this character and the friendship between them. And that was a little bit of a part that we never really had space to show in The Witcher 3 and in the expansions.”
Paweł Sasko
“We will be seeing another side of him, maybe, or a part that was not yet seen, not yet explored in stories, a part that really makes him human.”
Karolina Kuzia-Rokosz, Fool’s Theory creative vision director
The emphasis on Dandelion suggests the expansion will lean into character-driven storytelling rather than relying solely on the larger stakes that define the main saga. For many players, the friendship between Geralt and the wandering bard has always carried a quiet emotional weight, and the studio appears keen to give that bond the room it never had before.
Looking Ahead
As the community awaits further reveals, the central question remains whether Songs of the Past can distinguish itself from Geralt’s time in Beauclair. To feel like a fitting extension of a tale that seemed to reach a natural conclusion, it will likely need something genuinely unique up its sleeve—offering merely more of the base game’s classic Witcheriness may not be enough to earn its place. Until then, the bard’s song will have to wait.
1 comment