The Witcher 3’s acclaimed Blood and Wine expansion was almost called something entirely different
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s acclaimed Blood and Wine expansion was originally titled “Bells of Beauclair” during development, with the final name finalized only midway through production. CD Projekt Red developer Paweł Sasko revealed the naming decision during a 10th anniversary reflection on the 2016 expansion, explaining that the team chose “Blood and Wine” because it was a more “captivating title” that better captured “the spirit of the narrative” while also being “easier to spell out and articulate” compared to the original name, known internally as “BoB.”
The expansion shipped on May 31, 2016, seven months after the first expansion Hearts of Stone released in October 2015. Sasko described the development process for Blood and Wine as “pretty hardcore,” with the team creating an entirely new country, main story, characters, monsters, mechanics, and the player’s vineyard feature. The expansion was conceived as a narrative-focused conclusion to Geralt’s journey, delivering what Sasko characterized as content worthy of closing the protagonist’s story arc.