Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, co-founder of independent studio Rebel Wolves and director of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, believes that video games designed primarily to chase sales figures are doomed from the start. In a recent interview discussing his studio's current project, The Blood of Dawnwalker, Tomaszkiewicz explained that while money is necessary to fund future projects, measuring a game's success strictly through millions of sales undermines the creative process.
Quick Facts
- Developer: Rebel Wolves
- Key Figure: Konrad Tomaszkiewicz (Co-founder, The Witcher 3 Director)
- Game Discussed: The Blood of Dawnwalker
- Core Philosophy: Prioritizing artistic and creative needs over sales metrics
Prioritizing Creativity Over Sales Targets
During his interview with RadioTimes, Tomaszkiewicz was asked how many copies The Blood of Dawnwalker needs to sell to be considered a success. He responded that he prefers not to measure the studio's games by millions of sales.
"You need to have money, of course, to create the next part," Tomaszkiewicz said. "But we want to create those challenges in front of us to fulfill our artistic and creative needs. If you are thinking about sales as you create the game, when you try to make the game to match the sales, it will fail at the start."
As the head of an independent studio rather than a gigantic blockbuster publisher like Xbox or PlayStation, Tomaszkiewicz's perspective centers on earning back development costs to fund subsequent titles rather than chasing record-breaking commercial returns. Whether this player-first, art-driven approach will help The Blood of Dawnwalker stand out during a competitive release window remains to be seen by players and critics alike.