Netflix’s The Witcher series has been out for a few weeks now and, while it can’t please everyone, it’s done a great job of satisfying both fans of the original book series by Andrzej Sapkowski and fans of the video game series by CD Projekt RED. While most of the backlash surrounding the show died out once season one aired, it appears that a good number of folks are notably upset with how the show depicted Nilfgaard’s armor, prompting a response from The Witcher showrunner herself.

Speaking with IGN, The Witcher showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich opened up about why the Nilfgaardian army’s armor looks, well, strange. “What was important for us about the Nilfgaardian army was to bring it away from the Cintran army,” she said. “[Cintra has] an incredibly well-trained army that comes from a kingdom with a lot of money. We wanted to contrast that with Nilfgaard, which obviously is a very powerful army as well, but is moving northward and has been for a while, and conscripting new people into its army.”

[The armour had to] look like they picked it up, they did it quickly, and they put them on them. It’s not meant to have the same look as standard armour.”

Producer Tomasz Bagiński also mentions that the Nilfgaardian army in particular was inspired by more sizeable historical forces, which tended to use hastily-made armor that didn’t necessarily focus on the “looking good” aspect, focusing more on being protective. “If the Cintran army has 200 soldiers, then [Nilfgaard] has 20,000,” he said. “It’s about numbers, about covering other armies with people. And there were armies like that, in the history of the human race, and they were actually quite effective. But they weren’t looking great!”

The first season of Netflix’s The Witcher is now streaming. Season two is now in pre-production.

So, what are your thoughts on the Niflgaardian army’s armor? Let us know in the comments section below, and as always, stay tuned to Don’t Feed the Gamers for all the latest gaming and entertainment news! Don’t forget to follow DFTG on Twitter for our 24/7 news feed!