Main Facts
The development team behind The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt—specifically those working on the upcoming expansion, Songs of the Past, alongside a comprehensive full-game remaster slated for release this year—boasts a pedigree of unparalleled franchise devotion. The clearest evidence of this deep-seated passion comes directly from the writers’ room of Fool’s Theory, the development studio collaborating on the project. Paula Mejsner, the lead writer for Songs of the Past, has a history with CD Projekt Red’s masterwork that predates her professional involvement by nearly a decade.
In 2017, long before she would ever pen a line of official dialogue for Geralt of Rivia, Mejsner applied a rigorous comparative literature analysis to The Witcher 3’s first major expansion, Hearts of Stone, for her bachelor’s thesis. Titled in English as "Videogames as a way of experiencing literature: Analysis of the ‘Hearts of Stone’, a DLC to ‘The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt," her academic work dissected the profound literary roots embedded within the digital landscape. Today, Mejsner has transitioned from analyzing the text of the Continent to actively creating it, realizing a professional trajectory that bridges academic theory and triple-A game development.
Chronology: From the Ivory Tower to the Developer’s Desk
To understand the magnitude of Mejsner’s journey, one must trace the timeline from her initial encounter with the franchise to her current role at the helm of Songs of the Past.
2015–2017: Academic Discovery and the Undergraduate Thesis
When The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt launched in May 2015, it fundamentally shifted the paradigm of narrative-driven role-playing games. Shortly thereafter, the release of the Hearts of Stone expansion introduced players to some of the most critically acclaimed storytelling in gaming history, highlighted by the enigmatic villain Gaunter O’Dimm.
At the time, Paula Mejsner was an undergraduate student studying comparative literature. Captivated by the sheer density of cultural and literary allusions within the game, she chose Hearts of Stone as the focal point for her bachelor’s thesis. Writing the paper was as much an artistic validation as an academic exercise. As Mejsner later recounted, a primary motivation behind her choice was to demonstrate to her skeptical university professors that contemporary video games are legitimate "texts of culture" worthy of rigorous critical analysis.
2017–2024: Professional Growth and Industry Integration
Following the completion of her degree, Mejsner immersed herself in the professional games industry, building a portfolio that would eventually catch the attention of studios specializing in narrative-heavy RPGs. Her background in comparative literature provided her with a unique toolkit: an acute awareness of narrative pacing, thematic resonance, and intertextuality—skills that are indispensable when writing for a universe as textually rich as Andrzej Sapkowski’s dark fantasy world.
2024–Present: Joining Fool’s Theory and Songs of the Past
When Fool’s Theory—a studio founded by industry veterans, including former CD Projekt Red developers—began assembling its team for the upcoming expansion Songs of the Past and the accompanying full-game remaster, Mejsner secured a position that aligned precisely with her academic ambitions. Now acting as the lead writer, she finds herself tasked with crafting the very narratives she once spent her undergraduate years dissecting.
Supporting Data and Literary Context: Unpacking Hearts of Stone
Mejsner’s 2017 thesis was not merely a superficial review of a popular game; it was a deep-dive exploration into how interactive media mirrors, adapts, and converses with classical literature.
The Influence of Polish Classics
In her academic writing, Mejsner focused heavily on how The Witcher 3 successfully channels the bleak, atmospheric, and deeply philosophical spirits of classic Polish literature. For instance, she drew direct parallels between the psychological frameworks of the game’s quests and seminal works of Polish drama, such as Stanisław Wyspiański’s 1901 modernist play The Wedding (Wesele). By embedding these cultural touchstones into a fantasy framework, CD Projekt Red created a narrative texture that resonated profoundly with domestic audiences while offering international players a window into Polish folklore and literary tradition.
The Anatomy of Gaunter O’Dimm
One of the central subjects of Mejsner’s thesis was Gaunter O’Dimm—often known as the Man of Glass or Master Mirror. In Hearts of Stone, O’Dimm serves as a chilling, Faustian entity who grants wishes with devastating hidden costs. Mejsner analyzed O’Dimm not just as a traditional video game antagonist, but as a complex, devilish archetype rooted in centuries of global folklore, myth, and literary tradition, comparable to figures found in works by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Adam Mickiewicz, and Russian folklore (such as the devil in Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita).
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| THE LITERARY ARCHITECTURE OF HEARTS OF STONE |
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| [Classic Polish Drama] ----> Stanisław Wyspiański's "The Wedding"|
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| [Faustian Archetypes] ----> Goethe's Faust & Slavic Folklore |
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| [Interactive Medium] ----> CD Projekt Red's Narrative Design |
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[ Paula Mejsner's 2017 Bachelor's Thesis ]
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[ Lead Writer on "Songs of the Past" Expansion ]Official Perspectives and Personal Reflections
Reflecting on her journey from a university student peering into the mechanics of digital storytelling to a lead writer shaping the fate of Geralt of Rivia, Mejsner has expressed a profound sense of validation and disbelief.
When interviewed about her transition from academia to production, Mejsner recalled the exact sentiment that drove her research a decade ago:
"That was at the time when I played Hearts of Stone, and The Witcher, and I was studying comparative literature. That’s when I fell in love with The Witcher… [the thesis] touches upon what I said when it comes to how rich The Witcher is, when it comes to literary references."
She also noted the underlying objective of her student work:
"I wanted to analyse it, and I did this to probably prove to some of my professors that games are worthy, and they are also texts of culture."
Looking at her current position, where she helps steer the narrative direction of Songs of the Past, Mejsner acknowledges the surreal nature of her success:
"To be honest, I’m pretty proud with myself, that I did manage [to work on The Witcher]. But, you know, as always, there’s been a lot of luck in the process. But yeah, it truly is a dream come true, because this is what I dreamt of when I wrote my thesis. It’s pretty awesome to write Geralt."
Implications for the Industry and the Future of The Witcher
Mejsner’s appointment and the development of Songs of the Past carry several broader implications for the video game industry, particularly regarding narrative design and the integration of academic talent into mainstream game development.
1. The Validation of Video Games as Literature
For decades, academics debated whether interactive media deserved a place in literary and cultural studies alongside novels, poetry, and cinema. Mejsner’s career trajectory—moving from validating games in an academic thesis to writing award-tier franchise content—provides a powerful proof of concept. It demonstrates that the analytical skills honed in comparative literature departments are not only applicable to video games, but are increasingly essential as the medium matures into complex, multi-layered storytelling.
2. Fan-Driven Development and Authenticity
The trend of hiring passionate community members, modders, and academics into official development pipelines has paid massive dividends for major studios. When writers intimately understand the internal logic, tone, and cultural DNA of a franchise, the resulting content tends to satisfy longtime fans. With Fool’s Theory handling expansion work and remaster duties under the watchful eye of developers like Mejsner, players can expect a continuation of the distinct literary flavor that made The Witcher 3 a generational masterpiece.
3. What Lies Ahead for Songs of the Past
As anticipation builds for Songs of the Past and the upcoming full-game remaster, the presence of a lead writer who has literally written the book on the game’s narrative structures signals a deep respect for the source material. Whether exploring new corners of the Continent or re-contextualizing familiar lore, the expansion stands as a testament to the idea that a deep, analytical love for a fictional world can, under the right circumstances, become the foundation for building it.
