During the development of the card game GWENT, things went wrong. The developers pulled the emergency brake and decided on a new course: “Project Homecoming” aims to bring GWENT back on the right track.
When CD Projekt RED announced some time ago that they wanted to release their own collectible card game with GWENT, there was great excitement. After all, the studio was known for the Witcher series, which received praise from all sides.
GWENT also started with high expectations during the closed beta and received endless positive reviews. It was the fresh wind that the card game genre needed, which was virtually dominated by Hearthstone.
In an open letter, the GWENT development team addressed the community and admitted to some mistakes. Through the cycle of regular updates and supposed improvements to the game, they lost sight of the original vision for GWENT and forgot what made GWENT unique and fun. “Good enough” is not something that CD Projekt RED accepts.
6 months of development time to get GWENT back on track
For this reason, the developers now want to backtrack and take six months to fundamentally revise GWENT. Several goals are in focus:
GWENT becomes the battlefield: Players should feel like the leader of an army from “The Witcher.” The visual effects and buffs of the various rows should reflect this.
Upgrade of the board: The game board should be revised. There’s even consideration to completely remove one of the rows.
Revision of the coin flip: Those who draw second in GWENT have a massive advantage. This should be reduced.
Reworking player progression: Tutorial, leveling system, achievements, and a better ranking mode are planned.
Focusing on player skill: RNG elements should be reduced.
Core gamers in focus: GWENT should offer depth with distinctive gameplay.
The Witcher feeling: The world of Witcher is cruel and dark. GWENT aims to capture this more strongly.
Solo campaign: The announced single-player campaign should round it all off.
This endeavor is called “Homecoming” – the return home. They are focusing on the old strengths of GWENT and want to return to the original vision of the game.
After these six months, the release along with the single-player campaign “Thronebreaker” is expected. Whether this plan will succeed or if it will have to be discarded once again remains to be seen.
What do you think of GWENT? Have you taken a look at the game yet? Or would you rather wait for the release?
