Witcher 3 Realism Backfire: NPCs Dropped Babies in Fear Reactions
TL;DR
CD Projekt Red’s drive for ultra-realistic NPCs in The Witcher 3 led to an odd glitch: mothers would drop their babies when Geralt interrupted their routines. The devs wanted fear responses to feel authentic, but the baby-held animation created unintended chaos, highlighting the trade-offs and challenges of simulating living, reactive open-world characters.
- Witcher 3 Cut A Feature Because NPCs Kept Dropping Babies Kotaku
- The Witcher 3 NPCs Kept Dropping Their Babies Due to an Unintended Side Effect of a Cut Mechanic IGN
- Witcher 3 designer says it wasn't easy to convince players its NPC simulation wasn't 'just fakery': 'People... Yahoo Tech
- The Witcher 3 lead says designing for player curiosity "really came to haunt us" when making sure it felt like "people truly exist" in the RPG's villages GamesRadar+
- "For a few weeks, women were just dropping their babies": The Witcher 3 lead on designing NPCs that react appropriately Rock Paper Shotgun
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