History of The Witcher in Timeline
The Witcher is a fantasy series by Andrzej Sapkowski, comprising nine novels and fifteen short stories. It centers on Geralt of Rivia, a witcher who possesses superhuman abilities and hunts monsters. Sapkowski's writing career began with a short story in 1986, leading to more stories and eventually the Witcher Saga, consisting of five novels published annually from 1994-1999. A standalone prequel, Season of Storms, was published in 2013, followed by another prequel, Crossroads of Ravens, in 2024. The series follows Geralt's adventures and the world he inhabits, filled with dangerous creatures and complex characters.
1986: The Witcher short story debut
In 1986, Andrzej Sapkowski debuted as an author by entering a short story titled "The Witcher" into a competition held by Fantastyka magazine.
1988: "The Road with No Return" Release
In 1988, "The Road with No Return" ("Droga, z której się nie wraca"), which features Geralt's mother-to-be, was released. It is set before The Witcher stories.
1990: Janusz A. Zajdel Award for "The Lesser Evil"
In 1990, "The Lesser Evil" earned Andrzej Sapkowski the Janusz A. Zajdel Award.
1990: Publishing deal with SuperNowa
In 1990, Andrzej Sapkowski made a deal with SuperNowa to publish the series.
1990: Short story collection release
In 1990, the first four stories dealing with the witcher Geralt of Rivia were collected into a short story collection titled The Witcher by publisher Reporter.
1992: Janusz A. Zajdel Award for "Sword of Destiny"
In 1992, "Sword of Destiny" earned Andrzej Sapkowski the Janusz A. Zajdel Award.
1992: "Something Ends, Something Begins" writing
In 1992, Sapkowski wrote "Something Ends, Something Begins" as a wedding gift for his friends. It serves as an alternate ending to The Witcher Saga.
1993: Comic Series Adaptation Begins
From 1993 to 1995, Sapkowski's stories were adapted into a six-issue comic titled "The Witcher" by Maciej Parowski, Sapkowski, and Bogusław Polch.
1993: The Last Wish Release
In 1993, SuperNowa published "The Last Wish" to replace "The Witcher" as the first book in the series, including all of its stories except "The Road with No Return".
1994: Blood of Elves Publication
In 1994, "Blood of Elves", the first novel in The Witcher Saga, was published, focusing on Geralt and Ciri.
1994: The Witcher Saga Begins
In 1994, Andrzej Sapkowski started writing The Witcher Saga, a series of novels based on his Witcher stories, due to the high demand from readers.
1994: Janusz A. Zajdel Award for Blood of Elves
In 1994, Blood of Elves earned Andrzej Sapkowski the Janusz A. Zajdel Award.
1995: Comic Series Adaptation Ends
From 1993 to 1995, Sapkowski's stories were adapted into a six-issue comic titled "The Witcher" by Maciej Parowski, Sapkowski, and Bogusław Polch.
1995: Time of Contempt Publication
In 1995, "Time of Contempt", the second novel in the Witcher Saga, was published.
1996: Witcher translation invention
Around 1996-1997, Polish video game designer Adrian Chmielarz claimed to have invented the translation of wiedźmin into English as witcher.
1996: Baptism of Fire Publication
In 1996, "Baptism of Fire", the third novel in the Witcher Saga, was published.
1997: Witcher translation invention
Around 1996-1997, Polish video game designer Adrian Chmielarz claimed to have invented the translation of wiedźmin into English as witcher.
1997: The Tower of the Swallow Publication
In 1997, "The Tower of the Swallow", the fourth novel in the Witcher Saga, was published.
1999: The Lady of the Lake Publication
In 1999, "The Lady of the Lake", the fifth and final novel in the Witcher Saga, was published.
1999: The Witcher Saga Completion
In 1999, Andrzej Sapkowski completed the fifth and final installment of The Witcher Saga.
2000: Chosen by Fate: Zajdel Award Winner Anthology Release
In 2000, Chosen by Fate: Zajdel Award Winner Anthology, an English anthology, was released, including a translation of "The Witcher" short story entitled "The Hexer".
2000: "Hexer" Translation
In 2000, the first official English translation of the title was "hexer" in the short story collection "Chosen by Fate: Zajdel Award Winner Anthology".
2000: Coś się kończy, coś się zaczyna [pl] Release
In 2000, the short stories collection Coś się kończy, coś się zaczyna [pl] (Something Ends, Something Begins) by Sapkowski was released, including two from The Witcher: "The Road with No Return" and "Something Ends, Something Begins".
2001: Wiedźmin: Gra Wyobraźni Publication
In 2001, "Wiedźmin: Gra Wyobraźni" (The Witcher: A Game of Imagination), a tabletop role-playing game based on Sapkowski's books, was published by MAG.
2001: The Hexer film release
In 2001, The Witcher was adapted into a film version titled "The Hexer (Wiedźmin)", directed by Marek Brodzki.
2002: The Hexer TV Series Airs
In 2002, The Witcher was adapted into a TV series titled "The Hexer (Wiedźmin)", directed by Marek Brodzki.
2005: Sapkowski discusses the origin of 'witcher'
In his 2005 book-interview Historia i fantastyka, Sapkowski states his belief that the word "witcher" is a natural male version of the English word "witch."
2007: "Witcher" Translation
In 2007, CD Projekt used "witcher" for the title of its English release of the video game. Also in 2007, Danusia Stok used "witcher" in her translation of "Ostatnie życzenie".
2007: Card Games Development
In 2007, Kuźnia Gier developed two card games based on CD Projekt's The Witcher video game: "Wiedźmin: Przygodowa Gra Karciana" and "Wiedźmin: Promocyjna Gra Karciana".
2007: The Witcher video game release
In 2007, The Witcher, a video game developed by CD Projekt Red, was released.
2009: David Gemmell Award
In 2009, Blood of Elves won Best Novel at the first David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy in the United Kingdom.
2009: Rock Opera Production
In 2009, Russian symphonic rock band ESSE produced a rock opera based on "The Witcher" series, titled "The Road of No Return".
2010: A Polish Book of Monsters Release
In 2010, A Polish Book of Monsters, an English anthology, was released, including a translation of "The Witcher" entitled "Spellmaker".
2010: "Spellmaker" Translation
In 2010, Michael Kandel used the translation "spellmaker" in his translation of the "Wiedźmin" short story for A Book of Polish Monsters anthology.
2011: Reasons of State Comic Release
In 2011, Egmont released a two-part comic book titled "Reasons of State", featuring an original story.
2011: The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings release
In 2011, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, a sequel to The Witcher, was released by CD Projekt Red.
2011: Musical Production (Start)
In 2011, the Russian symphonic rock band ESSE started the production of a musical entitled "The Road of No Return" based on the series.
2012: Tähtifantasia Award
In 2012, "Sword of Destiny" won the Tähtifantasia Award in Finland.
2012: Musical Production (End)
In 2012, the Russian symphonic rock band ESSE ended the production of a musical entitled "The Road of No Return" based on the series.
2012: Maladie i inne opowiadania Release
In 2012, the collection Coś się kończy, coś się zaczyna [pl] was republished as Maladie i inne opowiadania (Maladie and Other Stories), with two additional stories not related to the Witcher universe.
2013: Season of Storms Publication
In 2013, Andrzej Sapkowski published "Season of Storms", a standalone prequel novel to The Witcher Saga.
2014: Maladie and Other Stories Release
In 2014, Maladie and Other Stories, an English e-book sampler, was released with translations of "The Witcher", "The Edge of the World", and chapters of Blood of Elves and Baptism of Fire.
October 2015: Matters of Conscience Webcomic Release
In October 2015, a one-shot webcomic titled Matters of Conscience was released by CD Projekt Red to expand on the events following their second video game.
2015: Film Adaptation Planned
In 2015, Platige Image planned an American film adaptation of the novel series to arrive in 2017.
2015: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt release
In 2015, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the third game in The Witcher series, was released.
2016: Competition for short stories in the Witcher world
In 2016, a competition by the Polish magazine Nowa Fantastyka, chose authors to write short stories for Szpony i kły (Claws and Fangs).
2016: Tabletop RPG Release Planned (Delayed)
In 2016, a tabletop RPG based on the video games and produced by R. Talsorian Games, was planned for release but was delayed.
May 2017: Netflix Series Announcement
In May 2017, it was announced that Platige Image would be producing "The Witcher" TV series in cooperation with Netflix and Sean Daniel Company, with Tomasz Bagiński as one of the directors and Sapkowski as a creative consultant.
2017: Szpony i kły (Claws and Fangs) Release
In 2017, Szpony i kły (Claws and Fangs), a collection of eleven short stories by authors chosen through a 2016 competition, was published by SuperNowa.
August 2018: Tabletop RPG Release
In August 2018, a tabletop RPG based on the video games, produced by R. Talsorian Games, was finally released after being delayed.
October 10, 2018: Casting Announcement
On October 10, 2018, Freya Allan and Anya Chalotra were announced as cast members for the Netflix "The Witcher" TV series, playing the main female characters Ciri and Yennefer.
October 2018: Witcher Square Inauguration
In October 2018, Andrzej Sapkowski's hometown of Łódź officially renamed a garden square Witcher Square (Skwer Wiedźmina) and announced plans to add installations based on the series.
2018: Gwent Stand-Alone Games Release
In 2018, CD Projekt Red released two stand-alone video games based on the card game "Gwent", titled "Gwent: The Witcher Card Game" and "Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales".
2018: Gwent: The Witcher Card Game Standalone Release
In 2018, Gwent: The Witcher Card Game, a digital collectible card game (CCG) developed and published by CD Projekt Red, was officially released as a standalone title.
2018: Revenue baseline
In 2018, the revenue from The Witcher books was a baseline for comparison with 2020, when it increased 562% after the release of the Netflix TV adaptation.
November 13, 2019: Season 2 Announcement
On November 13, 2019, Netflix announced a second season of "The Witcher" TV series.
December 2019: Book Sales
As of December 2019, The Witcher series had been translated into 37 languages and sold over 15 million copies worldwide.
December 20, 2019: Season 1 Release
On December 20, 2019, the first season of "The Witcher" TV series was released on Netflix, with all eight episodes made available.
July 2020: Book Sales Milestone
As of July 2020, The Witcher books had been translated into 37 languages and sold over 15 million copies worldwide.
2020: Revenue Increase
In 2020, two weeks after the Netflix TV adaptation was released, revenue from The Witcher books was reportedly up 562% compared to 2018.
February 2021: The Witcher: Old World Announcement
In February 2021, the board game "The Witcher: Old World" was announced, designed by Łukasz Woźniak and produced by Go on Board in partnership with CD Projekt Red.
May 2021: The Witcher: Old World Kickstarter Success
In May 2021, "The Witcher: Old World" raised more than $3 million on Kickstarter.
August 23, 2021: The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf Release
On August 23, 2021, Netflix released an animated film, "The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf", with Lauren Schmidt Hissrich as producer and writer BeAu DeMayo.
September 2021: Season 3 Renewal
In September 2021, Netflix renewed "The Witcher" TV series for a third season.
October 2021: Geralt Mural in Łódź
In October 2021, a mural of Geralt was painted on a skyscraper in Łódź, becoming the largest mural in Poland and one of the largest in the world.
December 17, 2021: Season 2 Release
On December 17, 2021, all eight episodes of the second season of "The Witcher" were released, featuring many of the same characters and some new stars.
June 2022: The Witcher: Old World Shipping Plan
The board game, The Witcher: Old World, raised more than $3 million on Kickstarter in May 2021, and was planned to be shipped in June 2022.
October 2022: The Witcher Remake Announcement
In October 2022, a remake of The Witcher, codenamed "Canis Majoris", was announced to be developed using Unreal Engine 5 by Fool's Theory under supervision of CD Projekt Red.
2022: The Witcher: Blood Origin Release
In 2022, a live-action prequel series, "The Witcher: Blood Origin", was released by Netflix, set 1200 years before Geralt's time.
May 2023: Video Game Sales Success
As of May 2023, The Witcher video games had sold more than 75 million copies, with over 50 million being from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt alone.
November 2024: Crossroads of Ravens Publication
On November 29, 2024, the ninth installment of the series, "Crossroads of Ravens", was published in Poland. It is a prequel describing Geralt as a young witcher.
2024: Crossroads of Ravens Publication
In 2024, Andrzej Sapkowski published another prequel, "Crossroads of Ravens", to both the Witcher Saga and short stories.
February 11, 2025: The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep Release
On February 11, 2025, Netflix released "The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep" with Doug Cockle voicing Geralt of Rivia, directed by Kang Hei Chul.
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