The Witcher 3's New Expansion Reintroduces Geralt's Chain and Explores Dandelion's Origins
At gamescom 2026, CD Projekt Red showed an hour-long demo of The Witcher 3's upcoming expansion, Songs of the Past. The quest 'A Bed of Thorns' has Geralt using his signature silver chain in combat and traveling to Dandelion's homeland, Letten. The expansion is set to launch next year, ahead of the next mainline Witcher game starring Ciri.
The expansion marks a rare instance of a major studio handing its flagship franchise to an external team, though Fool's Theory includes many former CD Projekt Red staff. The silver chain's inclusion directly references both the 2007 original game's opening cutscene and Andrzej Sapkowski's short story "The Voice of Reason" from *The Last Wish*, grounding the gameplay in established lore.
Set in Letten, the quest explores Dandelion's aristocratic background as Julian Alfred Pankratz, Viscount de Lettenhove, revealing the family tensions that drove him to become a bard. The demo's hour-long presentation suggests a substantial narrative scope, with the Garden of Thorns vision serving as the central mystery linking Geralt's search to his companion Lilla.
This expansion could significantly extend the commercial lifespan of a twelve-year-old game, potentially influencing how other publishers approach legacy titles and fan service. For players, it offers a sentimental farewell to Geralt while bridging toward Ciri's upcoming mainline game, possibly reinforcing emotional investment in the franchise's future. The involvement of a secondary studio may also shape industry conversations about developer handoffs and quality preservation.