The Witcher Showrunner on Why They Are Holding Back Monsters from the Trailer

On Friday, The Witcher will make its long-awaited debut on Netflix. While the show's producers have revealed a number of details ahead of the release, they've kept surprisingly silent about the monsters fans can expect to see. In a breakdown of the final trailer released by Netflix, showrunner Lauren Hissrich and executive producer Tomek Baginski discussed the reasons behind the decision to keep quiet about monsters in the series, teasing that showing them might spoil plotlines in the show for existing fans that have read or played the source material the show is based upon.

In an era where trailers are released to build hype for projects months before release, it is somewhat commendable to see one of the hooks for the series reserved for release. Of course, fans have gotten one good glimpse at one of the monsters appearing in the series. In a few of the trailers, there have been snippets of a fight between Geralt and a creature bearing a strong resemblance to the Arachnomorphs that have previously appeared in The Witcher 3 DLC packs Hearts of Stone and Blood of Wine. At this time, no one involved in the show has specifically confirmed if this is the arachnid enemy from the games, but it certainly looks the part!

Hissrich and Baginski will have a lot of pressure on them to get that particular aspect of the series right. After all, monster hunting plays a pivotal part in The Witcher's source material. In the books, a Witcher is a monster hunter that has undergone physical mutations, and the role of series lead Geralt of Rivia. After the invasion of the Kingdom of Cintra by the Empire of Nilfgaard, Cintra's princess Ciri comes under the care of Geralt. Alongside Geralt's former lover Yennefer of Vengerberg, the characters embark on a journey throughout a continent filled with monstrous dangers and human ones, as well.

In the trailer breakdown, Hissrich and Baginski also tease that new creatures created specifically for the show may also appear. In keeping with The Witcher's roots, these creatures will apparently have some basis in Polish folklore. Fans won't have to wait much longer to find out which monsters made the cut. The Witcher arrives on Netflix December 20th.

Are you excited for The Witcher? What sort of creatures do you hope to see Geralt face off against? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!