Wait, there was a new live-action Witcher movie? Starring Dolph Lundgren? On Netflix? In October?

I’m not a huge Witcher fan, but I am a big movie and TV fan, which means I usually stay on top of videogame adaptations. I regularly scan news sites, press releases, and entertainment coverage to see what’s coming next. So imagine my confusion when I realised I’d somehow missed the release of an entirely new live-action Witcher movie on Netflix.

Even more baffling: it stars Dolph Lundgren, dropped in October this year, and seemingly flew under the radar not just for me, but for a good chunk of the PC Gamer team as well. Movie fans and Witcher fans alike completely missed it.

The film is titled The Rats: A Witcher Tale, a feature-length special that acts as a prequel to The Witcher season 4. It’s available to stream on Netflix right now—although based on how little attention it received, you’d be forgiven for thinking Netflix didn’t particularly want anyone to notice.

The lack of promotion is genuinely strange. Despite receiving emails from Netflix through both personal and professional channels, there was no mention of the movie at all. Even Netflix’s own press site appears to be completely silent on its existence.

More confusing still, Netflix’s official YouTube channel doesn’t feature a trailer, teaser, or even a short clip. That’s a surprising move for a platform that usually values visibility and total view counts above almost everything else. While Dolph Lundgren might not draw the same crowd as Henry Cavill, he’s still a recognisable name—and surely enough to spark curiosity if promoted properly.

As far as public awareness goes, the only real trace of the film appears to be a single article on Netflix’s own website. There’s no coverage from major entertainment outlets like Variety, Deadline, or The Hollywood Reporter. It’s as close to a full media blackout as you’ll see for a Netflix original.

That might explain why there’s only one critic review on Rotten Tomatoes. Interestingly, that lone review is positive. Audience reactions, however, tell a very different story, with user scores averaging out to a pretty brutal 17%.