The Witcher LARP School in Poland, 5 Żywiołów, has just closed because CD Projekt Red has terminated its contractual agreement with the company.
CD Projekt Red has terminated its contract with 5 Żywiołów (5 Elements), the company responsible for the live action RPG events that created the Witcher school in Poland; Thus, the school has officially closed. It’s also worth noting that the CDPR’s name for The Witcher, renewed with series author Andrezej Sapkowski in 2019, applies to video games, board games, graphic novels, and branded products. When 5 Żywiołów decided to enter into a deal for a real-life Witcher school in 2015, it had to go through the Polish developer first.
5 Żywiołów began hosting Witcher-themed LARP events in 2015, allowing thousands of monster hunters from around the world to participate in 40 different training courses over a period of 7 years. LARP invites players to live and train in a real castle, participating in sword fighting, archery, forging equipment, and ultimately fighting monsters alongside other Witcher cadets. Unfortunately, the road to Path has recently come to an end because of what appears to be politically motivated.
After seven years in business, 5 Żywiołów will no longer run the Witcher school themed LARP. According to a report from Eurogamer, the company claims CD Projekt Red has terminated its licensing agreement because of an employee’s relationship with Ordo Iuris, a far-right religious extremist organization known for its anti-abortion sentiments. and anti-LGBTQ. This employee – Ania Wawrzyniak is married to the company founder Dastin Wawrzyniak and served as a legal advisor to 5 Żywiołów from 2017 to 2019. However, recently, the lawyer started working with Ordo Iuris to draft a law “punishing illegal abortion”. When Polish media broke the story earlier this year, 5 Żywiołów thought it would be prudent to inform the CDPR. 5 Żywiołów alleges that the CDPR’s response included immediate cancellation of their agreement. When Eurogamer contacted the development studio for clarification, the team only confirmed that their dealings with the Witcher school were closed.
In a Facebook post announcing the news, 5 Żywiołów said that COVID-related losses combined with the closure of the real-life Witcher school could eventually lead to bankruptcy. However, the plan is to weather the storm, as Eurogamer notes that former LARP attendees have received a message stating that 5 ywiołów hopes to set up an initial role-playing event that could launch as soon as possible. in 2023.
Over the course of seven years, the Witcher School has trained no less than 3,000 assassins from dozens of countries around the globe. Nearly 3,000 monsters have been slain in that span of time across 40 different LARP events, each providing attendees with the skills needed to take on the likes of Gaunter O’Dimm.
See also: Dragon’s Dogma makes fans expect a sequel after the new update