'Witcher school' closes after CD Projekt Red pulls license over political ties

A 'Witcher school’ located in Poland has been forced to close after its licence was abruptly pulled by the game’s publisher.

The reasons for which are currently unclear but organisers have claimed that the decision was due to a staff member’s involvement with an ultra-conservative political group, according to Eurogamer.

The Witcher School ran live-action role-playing (LARP) events in Poland themed around the popular videogame series with 40 editions of the event and over 3000 “Witchers'' taking part.

But after 7 years, the publisher of the hit videogame series, CD Projekt Red, officially ended the contract with the school in February 2022 with a three-month notice, effectively ending their use of The Witcher’s characters, setting and storylines.

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In a post on the school’s Facebook page, the organisers of The Witcher School, known as “5 Żywiołów” (5 Elements), has alleged that the licence was pulled due to a former staff member’s involvement with ultra-conservative Polish Catholic organisation, Ordo Iuris.

Ordo Iuris is a Polish Catholic ultra-conservative think tank that became well known for its anti-LGBT, anti-abortion and anti-divorce activism.

In a statement to Eurogamer, a spokesperson for CD Projekt Red commented on the decision to end the contractual agreement back in February after the staff member’s involvement with Ordo Iuris was originally reported in Polish media.

“We decided to end our cooperation with the organisers of Witcher School and now the contractual notice period of three months has ended.

“For more context, this cooperation was about the LARP itself, and potential merchandise tied to it. We do not provide further details on the matter."

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