Two of the biggest video game properties based on fictional novels are The Witcher and Metro 2033. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of the best games ever made, and there’s a new Netflix series on the way in 2019. Metro has a new highly anticipated game in the series due next year, Metro Exodus. However, the authors behind the two series don’t appear to get along, as Metro 2033 author Dmitry Glukhovsky has called The Witcher creator Andrzej Sapkowski “an old fool” during an interview.
The interview with Dmitry Glukhovsky was spotted by the gaming website Ostrog, and the video can be seen in full here, although note that it is in Russian. The author was asked about The Witcher creator Andrzej Sapkowski, and Sapkowski’s recent attempts to get $16 million from developer CD Projekt for continued use of his property. Sapkowski originally sold the rights to The Witcher franchise for use in video games for around $10,000, and waived his right for royalties because at the time he didn’t believe the games would make any money.
Dmitry Glukhovsky, who appears to be more of a video game fan than Sapkowski, calls him “an old fool” for his recent actions, and believes The Witcher creator “f***ed up.” Glukhovsky also believes that “he regrets it very much,” and that one of the reasons for him asking CD Projekt for more money is because “his wife nags him about it in the evening.”
The Metro author also adds that “he is an ungrateful schmuck, because without this great game franchise, he would not be where he is now, there would not be any Netflix.” The Netflix series is based on Sapkowski’s novels rather than the games, so CD Projekt do not have any involvement. However, regarding that Netflix series, Glukhovsky believes Sapkowski is making a big mistake pursuing legal action against the developer of The Witcher and the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077, “because Netflix can get scared and back out… Netflix does not like legal issues.”
Metro Exodus, the third game in the Metro 2033 series, is out next year, and we were greatly impressed with it in our recent hands-on preview. While Sapkowski may not like them, CD Projekt RED’s fourth Witcher game (not counting Gwent) Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales is out now.
