Jakub CEO:Well, even though Geralt is technically retired, you just cannot say no when your best mate rolls up asking for help. A friend in need and all that. That was one of the core reasons. But honestly, the real driving force was that we always wanted to explore Dandelion's background. We wanted to see what he really means to Geralt and where he actually comes from.

To be fair, this story was first cooked up at CD Projekt Red some 11 years ago. Despina, who was one of the early quest designers back then, was working on it alongside Narrative Director Philipp Weber from CD Projekt Red and Principal Writer Ula Moitika from Fool's Theory. Back then, though, CD Projekt Red had other fish to fry, so the project had to go on the back burner.

Fool's Theory also needed to grow up a bit. To properly pull off the vision for Letten through a remaster, the developer Exosoft had to jump on board as well. Everything just had to click into place. Once the window opened for us to tackle Songs of the Past, we jumped straight in. Taking the creative helm, I started hammering out the story in close collaboration with the folks at CD Projekt Red.

The biggest reason is that the main game literally had zero breathing room to dig deep into Dandelion's past. We genuinely felt players needed to hear what kind of bloke this friend really is.

Despina Quest Designer: Spot on. Dandelion is just a cracking character. He is always rolling with Geralt in the books, and we really wanted to respect and showcase that dynamic. When Philipp Weber and Ula Moitika first pitched the idea, it felt like an absolute treat to think we could actually bring that story to life as massive fans of The Witcher 3. Later on, Fool's Theory took the baton and ran with it. Seeing Songs of the Past come together now feels like a brilliant full-circle moment for all of us.

Jakub CEO:Ula Moitika, one of the original writers for Songs of the Past, is now working as a senior writer at Fool's Theory, collaborating tightly with the narrative lead. On top of that, the entire narrative team hammered out this expansion under the watchful eye of Marcin Blacha, CD Projekt Red's VP of Storytelling.

Despina Quest Designer: Simply put, this project is a brand-new adventure and a precious chance to finally let the world hear a story we never got to tell before.

Jakub CEO:Before this, Geralt's story was all about tracking down Ciri, his lost daughter. The two expansions that followed served as neat little pivots for the adventures from the base game. To properly pull off the gritty depth we wanted this time around, a fair bit of time realistically had to pass after Geralt's retirement and settlement.

The main point was securing enough elbow room to fully flesh out Dandelion's tale. You cannot just brush Dandelion off with two or three side quests like they did in Blood and Wine or the main campaign. We wanted to build a proper, full-sized expansion dedicated entirely to the bloke because he is just that important.

Despina Quest Designer: Exactly. While planning and crafting stories, you always generate hundreds of brilliant ideas. We turned those into expansions like Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, and when this opportunity popped up to tell this specific story, we grabbed it. There are literally hundreds of cracking ideas lying around, and some pop up later down the road. They are just another golden opportunity to keep the Witcher saga rolling and expanding.

Jakub CEO: I am proper chuffed to be working on Geralt's adventures again. It brings back a lot of nostalgia. I have been messing about with Witcher stuff since The Witcher 2 and The Witcher 3 before buggering off to start my own studio. As Despina mentioned, coming back a decade later to have another crack at telling a Geralt story feels like completing a neat little circle for us.

Despina Quest Designer: I suppose I started out simply as a massive fan of The Witcher 3. Even during my job interview, I made sure to mention how obsessed I was with The Witcher 3. So, I was over the moon when I got to work on the next-gen version, and now, years later, getting the chance to jump into Songs of the Past as a planner and storyteller feels unreal. It is a massive honour.

Jakub CEO: We do not want to spoil too much for you lot. But what I can say is that it is all about Dandelion and his roots. We are going to dive deep not just into Dandelion's past, but also into the history of Letten, the brand-new region we cooked up.

Despina Quest Designer: Though I do want to clear up one tiny detail. By internal industry definitions, DLC is usually free content while expansions are paid. We want to make it crystal clear that Songs of the Past is a proper paid expansion. It is miles bigger than any ordinary DLC in terms of scope and content volume. You can safely expect something right on par with Hearts of Stone or Blood and Wine.

Despina Quest Designer: Just like any project out there, you always run into hurdles. That is just how creative work goes internally. The important bit is that we bash through those obstacles and craft something brilliant for ourselves and the players.

Fool's Theory is absolutely packed with Witcher 3 veterans, starting right at the top with Jakub. Since these folks helped build The Witcher 2 and The Witcher 3, they inherently understand the IP and grasp our design philosophy inside out. That is precisely why we trusted them implicitly to deliver this expansion successfully together.

Jakub CEO: Spot on. Plus, CD Projekt Red acts as the creative supervisor for everything we do. We collaborate super closely with Marcin Blacha, whom I mentioned earlier, making sure we never step on any toes or harm the CD Projekt Red IP.

From my perspective, the real headache was simultaneously wrangling a remaster alongside another developer, Exosoft. But let's be real, this expansion would have been totally impossible without that remaster. We had some seriously ambitious ideas we wanted to pull off in Letten, and none of that would have worked without the tweaks brought by the remaster or the revamped combat system that finally lets Geralt wield his chain weapon.

Managing three separate companies—Fool's Theory, Exosoft, and CD Projekt Red—not just building one thing, but wrapping up two products at the exact same time, easily makes this the most complicated project I have ever directed. But we bloody well pulled it off in the end.

Fool's Theory is proudly a 100% remote-working studio, which is quite rare in this post-covid era. We poured a ton of effort into sharpening our communication pipelines, info-sharing flows, and production setups to translate all those real-world office interactions into a remote setup. That preparation made this collaboration run remarkably smoothly. We were already used to working in non-standard conditions and knew full well that crystal-clear communication is priority number one for shipping a decent product.

Jakub CEO:Oh, the chain is definitely not some magic cheat code that instantly solves every single defensive mechanic out there. Actually, chains first popped up way back in the original Witcher 1 cinematic trailer. They are right there in the source novels and deep in the lore too—Geralt uses a chain when fighting the Striga in that Witcher 1 trailer. We always wanted to put it in the game, but back then, we ran into obstacles we simply could not clear.

Still, like I said earlier, the stars finally aligned. When Exosoft started working on the remaster, it opened up a window to tinker with the combat mechanics, finally letting us hand Geralt this ultimate weapon. The chain is a cracking crowd-control tool, and it is going to feel proper satisfying even for players jumping back into the base game.

Despina Quest Designer: We reckon the chain is going to shake things up nicely. The base game had the crossbow, so offering returning players a fresh weapon like the chain to play around with feels like a cracking choice to keep things punchy.

Jakub CEO: I would call it 'nostalgia' stemming from returning home—though it is Dandelion's home, not Geralt's. Since Dandelion is Geralt's absolute best mate, you (as Geralt) have to step up and help your buddy tackle whatever nonsense he has gotten himself into. We keep joking around the office that 'we did the romance, now it is time for the bromance.' It is all about helping a friend weather a proper storm, and that was our main target.

Despina Quest Designer:This story takes place in Letten, an idyllic region tucked away in northeastern Redania. It is a stunning, peaceful spot that somehow managed to dodge the horrors of war. But as you poke around the expansion, you quickly realise there is a nasty dark streak lurking beneath the surface. It is still very much a story about 'family,' just told through an entirely different lens and angle. While it keeps the core thematic DNA of the Witcher 3 base campaign—which focused on Geralt and his adopted daughter Ciri—this time we are tackling Geralt, his buddy Dandelion, family drama, and old baggage. We kept the original flavour while giving it a fresh twist to cook up a brand-new narrative.

Jakub CEO:Even when designing a tiny little side quest, we always ask ourselves: 'What do we want the player to feel right at this moment?' That exact emotional punch sits at the very heart of every single story in the Witcher franchise. We always boil it down to two questions. First is 'Why?'—meaning why is this happening, like why a particular character is wearing a specific outfit.

The second question is 'What do we want the player to feel?' Nailing those two questions is how you transform a flat NPC made of raw code and polygons into a breathing, multi-dimensional character with a past, genuine feelings, grudges, and family ties.

Despina Quest Designer: Keeping thematic consistency is also dead important. Songs of the Past is not some standalone spin-off; it is an organic piece of The Witcher 3 and a direct continuation of Geralt's journey, so the tone has to match seamlessly. Both Fool's Theory and CD Projekt Red kept that golden rule locked in mind while drafting the narrative.

Jakub CEO: We are indeed adding fresh Gwent cards. In fact, we just chatted about it live on Red Stream a moment ago. We are dropping 20 new cards in total, and you can already scope out 4 of them online. We are well aware of how fiercely passionate the Gwent community is. But again, this is another classic case of answering 'why now?'

The legacy system was coded in such a stubborn way that stuffing new cards into it was practically mission impossible back in the day, which is why previous expansions skipped adding cards to Gwent. Exosoft had to step in and build a brand-new modding tool specifically for us, letting us mod the base game to squeeze these new cards in. We are planning to release that Gwent modding tool to the public in a few weeks, so players can start crafting their very own custom Gwent cards too.

Jakub CEO: I genuinely hope Korean fans fall in love with the story we have put together. As one of the original creators of The Witcher 3, I feel deeply humbled and utterly chuffed that Geralt managed to cross borders and gather such a massive fanbase all the way in South Korea. It is a staggering achievement. Knowing that something we crafted in the past—and are returning to craft once more—resonates and connects this deeply with people is just the best feeling.

I reckon part of the shared philosophy between us and CD Projekt Red is that games should not just help you unwind after a long day or take your mind off things, but actually put a proper smile on your face. And Geralt has always been the absolute bloke to deliver those feelings.

Despina Quest Designer: Having such passionate fans cheering us on is just brilliant. The sheer energy coming from Korean fans is unreal. (In Korean) Thank you.