Worldbuilding, narrative, and agency in the intersemiotic translations of ‘The Witcher’

Abstract This study examines the complex intersemiotic translations of Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher series across multiple media platforms: from novels to video games and subsequently to a Netflix television adaptation. Through an interdisciplinary framework drawing on Translation, Adaptation, and Game Studies, this research investigates how narrative structures, worldbuilding elements, and audience agency transform across different media. Particular attention is paid to how game developers navigate the tension between narrative fidelity and player autonomy, as well as how the television adaptation further reinterprets these elements. The analysis reveals that successful adaptations balance medium-specific affordances with core thematic and narrative elements of the source material. This interdisciplinary approach offers valuable insights into contemporary transmedia storytelling practices and provides a theoretical model for understanding the multifaceted nature of adaptation in convergent media environments.