The IRL Witcher School In Poland Shut Down Over Political Connections

If you didn’t know, a real-life Witcher School has been up and running in Poland for the past seven years. Established by events organisers 5 Elements (5 Żywiołów in Polish), the Witcher School was set up in 2015 and has since gone on to train over 3,000 Witchers who claim to have slayed 2,841 monsters. I guess a well done is in order.

The school allowed participants to experience thrilling Witcher-inspired adventures all whilst learning about the importance of combat, magic, friendship, and sacrifice. But if you’re thinking, "This sounds like a dream come true, sign me up," I have bad news. Witcher School has officially closed down.

We think The Witcher's Ciri needs and deserves her own game. Check out our reasons why below.

Witcher School has closed its doors for the last time after its contract with CD Projekt Red, which allowed for their use of The Witcher branding, came to an end. And it appears that the termination was politically charged.

5 Elements has accused CD Projekt Red of terminating the contract due to staff member Ania Wawrzyniak’s involvement in a conservative catholic organisation called Ordo Luris. The group is against gender equality, in addition to being anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-abortion. Ania Wawrzyniak is the wife of 5 Elements founder Dastin Wawrzyniak, who confirmed in a Facebook post that his wife Ania worked at the company between 2017 and 2019 as a lawyer.

According to the Facebook post co-signed by Dastin and his brother Dominic, Ania left the company to work with Ordo Luris on, “the legal mechanisms for introducing and enforcing the vaccination obligation and the possible consequences of failure to comply with it, and the draft of a law penalizing illegal abortion.”

The duo claim that Ania has not been involved in the Witcher School for two years and they later went on to say, “This is our employee's private sphere [...] Therefore, as a company, we remain consistently apolitical and will not be blackmailed by the vetting of our employees and evaluation of their private activities.”

Eurogamer was able to get in touch with CD Projekt Red, who provided a vague response. They said: “In February 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.”

Given the understandably huge outcry in response to the potential overturning of Roe v. Wade in the US, it’s unsurprising that CD Projekt Red want to distance the Witcher franchise from those who hold anti-abortion views. 5 Elements has since claimed that they will establish a brand-new, original LARP experience.