Ask Witcher 3 players to name the quest that stayed with them longest, and many will say Family Matters. The story of Phillip Strenger, the Bloody Baron, tackles alcoholism and domestic abuse without looking away, and it has become the example people reach for when they explain why the game’s writing works. Its writer, Karolina Stachyra, is now back at CD Projekt Red.
Ten years away
Stachyra also worked on Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine before leaving the studio about a decade ago. In the years since, she has been narrative director at Techland and at GSC Game World. She first came back to CD Projekt Red as a freelance consultant in February 2026, and in August 2026 she rejoined as a full-time writer.
What is she working on?
CD Projekt Red has not said. The studio declined to comment on her current project, so any link to The Witcher 4 is speculation for now. Still, with Ciri leading the new game and the studio stressing how much weight it puts on the story, it is hard not to hope.
If it has been a while, the new Witcher 3 Remastered is a good excuse to revisit Crow’s Perch and the Baron’s family.
