The director behind The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has shared an honest perspective on game development ahead of the launch of The Blood of Dawnwalker, saying that focusing on sales during development is one of the quickest ways for a project to lose its identity. Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, now co-founder and game director at Rebel Wolves, believes creative ambition and player satisfaction should come before commercial expectations.
Speaking in an interview with Radio Times, Tomaszkiewicz explained that while financial success is necessary to support future projects, it should never become the main objective during development. His comments come as anticipation continues to grow for Rebel Wolves’ debut RPG, The Blood of Dawnwalker, which launches on September 3 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Konrad Tomaszkiewicz says fan reception matters more than sales figures
During the interview with Radio Times, Tomaszkiewicz made it clear that Rebel Wolves is not defining success by copies sold.
“We don’t want to measure our games in millions of sales.”
He acknowledged that a successful studio still needs revenue to continue creating games but stressed that artistic fulfillment remains the primary goal.
“We want to create those challenges in front of us to fulfil our artistic and creative needs.”
Instead of focusing on commercial milestones, Tomaszkiewicz said he would rather evaluate the game through community feedback. He added,
“I would prefer to measure the game in the opinions of fans,”
explaining that positive player reactions and recognition through awards would be more meaningful achievements for the development team as creators.
Tomaszkiewicz also warned that designing games around market performance can ultimately hurt the final product. He argued that developers should first build the best game they can, trusting that commercial success will naturally follow if the experience resonates with players.
“The sales are secondary… if the game is good there will be the sales.”
He continued with his strongest statement:
“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.”
The philosophy reflects the approach Tomaszkiewicz previously followed while directing The Witcher 3, a title widely regarded as one of the greatest RPGs ever made. Rebel Wolves is applying a similar creative-first mindset to The Blood of Dawnwalker, a dark fantasy RPG set in 14th-century Europe. Players take control of Coen, a half-human, half-vampire protagonist who has just 30 in-game days and nights to save his family, with player choices significantly shaping the narrative.
