After the success of Game of Thrones on HBO, there was a mad scramble to create the next massive fantasy offering. Viewers were hungry for similar content, and Netflix quickly moved to purchase the rights to adapt Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher books. This seemed like a wise move, with the characters already well-known among gamers. However, it now appears that the offering from Lauren Schmidt Hissrich could be about to shed viewers.
If The Witcher is to stand any chance of being as successful as Game of Thrones, it needs to replicate the HBO offering’s franchise model and expand into various other mediums to keep people interested.
How Can The Witcher Mirror the Game of Thrones Franchise?
When The Witcher first came out on Netflix in 2019, it had an early advantage over the debut season of GOT. It benefited from the fact that viewers were searching for more fantasy content. Many people already knew about Geralt of Rivia & co thanks to the hugely popular console games from CD Projekt Red. There was a lot of hype around the first season, but this gradually dissipated with the release of the second and third offerings in the series. It’s clear that The Witcher won’t be able to leverage the game’s popularity forever, and it needs new related content to appeal to a broader audience.
As GOT grew increasingly famous, the franchise expanded into other media, which helped it grow exponentially. For example, the Telltale Games Game of Thrones roleplaying game allowed viewers to experience Westeros in a new way. In addition, there was also a foray into the online casino industry with the massively successful Game of Thrones slot game. As it stands, this title remains available at 888casino, which is ranked highly as one of the best real money online casinos in Canada. Unsurprisingly, 888casino achieves its edge by including officially franchised slot games courtesy of sprawling universes like that of GOT.
Ideally, The Witcher must delve into the same industry to grow its audience and keep them interested in new seasons.
Why Might The Witcher Shed Viewers?
The showrunners of The Witcher have always said that they would stay true to the original books rather than the games. The novels from Sapkowski have boomed in popularity since the Netflix series first aired. Still, it has recently become clear that the writers of the adaptation are taking more artistic license than they had initially said they would. The recent season includes characters and storylines that didn’t exist in the original work.
The Witcher may shed viewers if it goes off in its own direction, as this could lead the quality and focus of the series to decline. Some have speculated that Henry Cavill decided to quit because he was a book purist and didn’t like how things were going. There’s no doubt that the loss of Cavill in the starring role will hurt the ratings as well.
The Witcher still has at least four more seasons ahead of it, but it won’t be able to build a legacy unless the franchise expands alongside it. To appeal to a broader viewer base, Netflix must commission games and other related works.