One of the original developers of The Witcher says turning the remake into an open-world game is far more complicated than just making the map bigger. Artur Ganszyniec, lead story designer on the original game, explained that the first Witcher was built around smaller areas where developers always knew where players would go next. This made it easier to control the story and maintain pacing. He cited Lake Vizima as an example: in the original, players follow a specific route, but in an open-world version they could grab a boat and head straight to key locations, skipping major story moments. As a result, the team cannot simply open up the map. They must also redesign quests, story events, and progression to ensure everything works regardless of where players explore.