CD Projekt Red is aiming for a more dreamlike atmosphere in The Witcher 3's upcoming free expansion, Songs of the Past, drawing parallels to the stylistic experimentation seen in the Blood and Wine DLC. The developers intend to explore a different side of the bard Dandelion and deepen certain character relationships that were not fully realized in the base game or previous expansions.
Paweł Sasko, TW3 quest designer and associate game director on Cyberpunk 2, explained that while The Witcher 3's base story represents a "bread-and-butter Witcher story," expansions offer opportunities to experiment. He noted that Blood and Wine allowed for more stylistic differences and a "more ridiculous" approach. Sasko stated that Songs of the Past also carries this approach, not necessarily in humor, but stylistically, creating a "lot dreamier" art and music. This dreamlike quality is intended to set it apart from the more traditional Witcher narrative, especially as it aims to provide a fitting continuation to a story that many felt had reached a natural conclusion with Blood and Wine.
The necessity for Songs of the Past stems from a desire to delve into Geralt's relationships that received less focus while he and Ciri were contending with the Wild Hunt. "Dandelion is very often the one who actually pierces [Geralt's emotional] shell," Sasko commented, highlighting Dandelion's role in drawing out Geralt's unspoken feelings and acting as a voice of reason or comic relief. The developers want to showcase the depth of Dandelion's character and his friendship with Geralt, a facet they felt there was insufficient space to explore in previous entries.
Karolina Kuzia-Rokosz, creative vision director at Fool's Theory, added that players will witness "another side" of Dandelion, a part of him that has not been seen or explored, making him feel more human. While specific details about the expansion remain scarce, the developers' comments suggest a focus on narrative depth and character development, leveraging the studio's established reputation for compelling storytelling to create an expansion that feels both fresh and meaningful within Geralt's established saga.