"Disgusting. How can you live here?!"
CD Projekt originally planned for The Witcher 3 to briefly visit Night City from Cyberpunk 2077, years before the latter launched.
The idea has been discussed by the developer before, but an impressive datamining project has now uncovered the work-in-progress script for the scene, which would have seen Geralt and Avallac'h turn up in CD Projekt's future setting - and not be overly impressed by what they found.
This moment would have come as part of The Witcher 3's Through Time and Space questline, and acted as an Easter egg for fans hoping to get a glimpse at what CD Projekt was building next.
As found by What Lies Unseen, and highlighted by PC Gamer, the script for the sequence - as it was back around 2012, three years before the final version of The Witcher 3 launched - would have been as follows:
Geralt: What... What is this place? Is this the afterlife?
Avallac'h: No. Just another of the realities the Spiral leads through... Technologically advanced, but broken. Dying.
Geralt: Disgusting. This stench, noise... How can you live here?!
Avallac'h: You should know better. This world is inhabited by humans, not elves.
Insight from What Lies Unseen includes that CD Projekt also planned to have Geralt toss a coin to a begger who would then turn up in Cyberpunk 2077, rich from your Novigrad gold.
In the end, Through Time and Space remained in The Witcher 3 - albeit with different sequences that saw Geralt pingpong between the Ddiddiwedht Desert, a poisoned valley, an underwater section and an icy tundra. Less exciting.
Perhaps, now Cyberpunk 2077 is out, this idea might be easier to make happen in The Witcher 4? CD Projekt recently confirmed its next project has entered "full production", and Eurogamer recently revealed the technical ambition, optimism, and timeframes the developer is working to for it. Perhaps that could look forward to the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel?