The Witcher: CD Projekt revokes the license of real witcher school
The Polish organization 5 Żywiołów (5 Elements) started their live-action role-playing events in 2015. However, CD Projekt has now withdrawn the license from the “Witcher School”. 5 Żywiołów states that the connection with an ultra-conservative and Catholic organization is the reason for this.
Since 2015, the Polish organization 5 Żywiołów (5 Elements) has been running live-action role-playing events in the Witcher universe. Over a period of seven years, around 40 events were held around a witcher school with around 3,000 participants. CD Projekt has now put an end to this and revoked the organization’s license to use the Witcher name.
Real “witch school” is no longer allowed to use witcher names
The founders of the LARP event, Dominik and Dastin Wawrzyniak, announced the end of the Witcher events via Facebook. Both claim that the reason for the end of the Witcher school was Dastin’s wife Ania Wawrzyniak’s association with the Catholic organization Ordo Iudis. The ultra-conservative Polish anti-abortion organization has been campaigning for years to suppress the rights of women and the LGBTQ+ community.
Ania Wawrzyniak is said to have worked as a lawyer for 5 Żywiołów for two years. Most recently, however, she worked on “the legal mechanisms for introducing and enforcing compulsory vaccination and the possible consequences of non-compliance” and “a draft law to punish illegal abortions” on behalf of the Ordo Iuris. In their Facebook post, Dominik and Dastin Wawrzyniak stated that they did not share the views of Ordo Iuris.
CD Projekt Red did not comment on whether the involvement in Ordo Iuris is the reason for the termination of the license. Instead, the studio invokes the merchandising. “In February we decided to end our collaboration with the organizers of The Witcher School,” the developer said in a statement to Eurogamer. “Now the contractual notice period of three months has expired. For the sake of context, this collaboration was about the LARP itself as well as potential merchandise associated with it. We are not disclosing any further details on the matter.”
5 Żywiołów wants to do without the famous Witcher brand in the future. “We are creating a new world. Our own universe, so thought out that the LARPs hosted are as good as possible, opening unlimited possibilities for us in the future.” The company also plans to release a short film that will serve as “a kind of memorial to the Witcher school.”
Reference-www.pcgameshardware.de