I own Greedfall on the PS4 and I played the first 30 minutes. For some reason it didn’t click with me fast enough and I set it aside for another time. So I cannot speak to it.
The Witcher 3 is actually Open World because you can freely roam, leave, and return to the playable game areas. That is the key. How you leave and return is not a qualifier nor a disqualifier. Typically Open World means a single playabe area but it isn’t carved in stone as law. Returning to a previous area is a rather important and non-negotiable feature for Open World. Persistent effect is another matter. The idea that you cannot sail in real time to Skellige is immaterial because it allows you to freely roam the game area, leave and return at will.
For example if you could run around on a space ship and then travel to a moon in a fast travel scene, but could freely roam, leave and return again to the moon’s playable areas then it is still Open World and isn’t disqualified simply because you can’t free roam the space between the ship and the surface.
Whatever geographic areas that supposedly exist between the main game of area TW3 (such as Novograd and Velen), and the map of Toussaint from Blood and Wine is immaterial because that isn’t a playable area. Possessing a system for transition between playable areas (Jump gates in Mass Effect) does not disqualify a game from being Open World and nor does it make it a hub world game. Single large playable area that is free roam vs multiple large playable areas that are free roam. Both Open World.
Hub world games exist where you run missions from a hub and once you run that mission you cannot return to that area. Or if you can it is only to run the exact same mission again. Warhammer 40k Inquisitor Martyr is a good example of a Hub World game made by liars that call their game an Open World Sandbox when it is neither Open World and it most certainly isn’t a Sandbox. They have campaign missions and randomly generated missions you are free to take at will. You can travel to any solar system that has been unlocked. Sounds great. But once a mission is done that is it. You cannot return to an area at will and roam around. Other than several non-canon issues with that title, it isn’t a bad game. But the developers are wholly dishonest.
