Published Feb 7, 2026, 4:01 AM EST
Nicholas Becher is a gaming journalist with an MFA in Creative Writing from FAU. With extensive experience playing video games, he covers all forms of gaming content at Screen Rant, from breaking news to the latest fan theories. Most-played games range from Clair Obscur to Civ to Elden Ring to Halo 2 and beyond.
If you're a fan of all things The Witcher related, whether it's the original Andrzej Sapkowski novels, the beloved The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt open-world RPG, or the hit Netflix show, there's a concerning development related to the use of AI that will impact a massive portion of the franchise's audience.
According to a recent interview with The Witcher translator, José María Faraldo, he claims that Sapkowski's agent has been blocking the publication of his critically acclaimed Spanish translations of The Witcher novels for over four years, and that they want to replace the current renowned translation with an AI-generated version (via X).
The Best Spanish Witcher Translations Could Be Replaced By AI
The Canonical Spanish Translations Could Be At Risk
According to Faraldo, who first translated Sapkowski's Witcher series into Spanish for release in 2002, the author's agent has been blocking republication efforts for years now. Up to this point, it was unclear why Faraldo's Spanish translations weren't being re-released and made available to Spanish audiences, considering they're the official canonical translations.
For the past seven years, Spanish publisher Alamut has faced resistance from Sapkowski's agent in their efforts to republish Faraldo's versions of the books (via Kercy on X). Further, while Sapkowski nor his agent have offered comment on the reason for the hold-up, Faraldo suggests that new AI-generated translations are possibly in the works to be published instead.
Faraldo, who is a friend of Sapkowski's, claims that "the agent's idea was to sell [the] books to another publisher... without my translations and without me being able to defend my rights." He says he "would lose the rights to translations that already exist and that have been the canonical translation of Geralt's saga" for over 25 years.
Witcher Fans Deserve Better
AI Translations Are A Disservice To Readers
Spanish-speaking Witcher fans have been unable to access newly published versions of the books for a while, and in an effort to get to the bottom of things, Queremos The Witcher has launched a full-on grassroots campaign to finally let Spanish audiences enjoy the beloved fantasy novels in the way they deserve.
Faraldo's translations honor the source material and deliver the essential Witcher stories as they were meant to be experienced, and any AI-generated translations are certain to be of a lower quality. Further, despite what is going on behind the scenes between Sapkowski and his agent, it's hard to imagine audiences embracing an AI-generated translation of the stories when they know an authentic one is being trampled under foot.
No matter your native language, the possibility of AI replacing authentic translations of The Witcher books is deeply concerning, and fans of the franchise absolutely deserve better.
Created by Andrzej Sapkowski
First Film The Hexer (Wiedźmin)
First TV Show The Hexer (Wiedźmin)
English (US) ·