suggested order - Is there any meaningful material in "Witcher" canon that requires playing games?

The Witcher is a multimedia franchise of books, video games, television series, and movies based around the written works of Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. - Wikia

I'm interested in trying out this universe.

However, I like to fully get the whole canon (which is what attracts me to complicated universes).

As such, I am somewhat deterred from Witcher by the worry that in order I would have to play the Witcher video games (which - as a non-gamer - irked me to no end about Star Wars EU. God bless Wookiepedia and its little frequently inaccurate heart).

As such:

Is there any meaningful material in "Witcher" canon that requires^[1] playing games to learn and isn't also covered in books/movies/TV?

By that I mean, either universe rules, or specific important events that affect continuity or character story, etc....

_{[1] ...assuming I don't cheat and read that canon data off of linked Wikia :)}

Answer

Games are unofficial continuation of the books and technically not canon. They were made after most of the books and even Sapkowski didn't play them :) You won't lose anything from books because of not playing, but I recommend them - they are very good.

On the other hand movie was bad and series marginally less bad and they weren't canon - just low budget adaptations and it's better to play the games than to watch them.

The game - with all due respect to it, but let's finally say it openly - is not an 'alternative version', nor a sequel. The game is a free adaptation containing elements of my work; an adaptation created by different authors [...]

Adaptations - although they can in a way relate to the story told in the books - can never aspire to the role of a follow-up. They can never add prologues nor prequels, let alone epilogues and sequels.

From an interview to Andrzej Sapkowski.

Update: There was a new movie planned (source 1, source 2), but a series is produced by Netflix instead (source 3).

Comments

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