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Tag: The Witcher 3

  • ‘The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’ Delayed to 2015

    Last year’s PlayStation 4 announcement event and E3 provided gamers with a wealth of new wonderful-looking games for the next generation of video game consoles. As seen in the delay of Watch Dogs, however, many of these games are likely to push past their planned release dates as the reality of next-gen development cycles closes in on studios.

    The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the latest of those games to be delayed past its planned release date. CD Projekt RED today issued an open letter to fans and investors informing them that The Witcher 3 has been delayed until February 2015.

    From the letter:

    We recently reexamined what we had achieved thus far, and faced a choice about the game’s final release date. The decision we made was difficult, thoroughly considered, and ultimately clear and obvious. We could have released the game towards the end of this year as we had initially planned. Yet we concluded that a few additional months will let us achieve the quality that will satisfy us, the quality gamers expect from us. Consequently, we have set the release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for February 2015.

    The letter went on to apologize to Witcher fans for the delay, stating that the game will “prove to be worth the wait.” CD Projekt also addressed the studio’s investors, maintaining that the delay is “valid is business terms” because the studio believes quality is ultimately the most important factor in a game’s success.

  • The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Gets A New Trailer At VGX

    This year’s VGX awards show featured a lot less new titles and a lot more trailers for previously announced games. While that certainly led to more than a few complaints, it was nice to get a new look at some of 2014’s most promising titles.

    One such promising title is The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – the final game in CD Projekt RED’s trilogy that follows the tale of Geralt of Rivia. In the newest trailer for the title, we’re treated to a few more teases of where the story will go with this final game and what will become of Geralt as he tracks down the Wild Hunt.

    As for gameplay, there’s still not a lot being shown. In fact, we get to see about as much as we saw back in E3. Still, what’s there is looking really impressive. The environments are absolutely stunning, and the towns look even livelier than they did in The Witcher 2.

    The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will be out in 2014 on the PS4, Xbox One and PC.

    [Image: gametrailers/YouTube]

  • The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s Violent New Trailer

    Back in February, just before the announcement of the PlayStation 4, CD Projekt RED (CDPR) announced the next installment in the critically-acclaimed Witcher series. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will once again follow Geralt of Rivia, this time as he explores a Skyrim-like open world and clashes with members of the Wild Hunt.

    The Witcher 3 is being developed alongside CDPR’s new REDengine 3 game engine. As a next-gen title, the few screenshots of the game already released have been visually stunning. Now, a new CG trailer for The Witcher 3 shows off how cut-scenes might look in-game.

    A quick warning before the video. It does fit with the very mature themes and visuals of past Witcher titles, which means it features significant violence. It may be particularly rough for those who could be triggered by violence against women.

    The Witcher 3 is scheduled for release sometime during 2014. It will be released on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

  • The Witcher 3 Gets A Fun Making Of Feature

    A film crew heads out to the beaches of Scotland for some location scouting. They aren’t there for a film though. It’s CD Projekt Red preparing a trailer for their latest video game – The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

    CD Projekt Red went on location in Scotland to film the E3 trailer for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. You can check out that trailer here. Below, you’ll see the making of that trailer as the team braves the elements of a very cold Scotland and a very cuddly wolf.

    Of course, they weren’t just shooting for a trailer in Scotland as the team used the area as direct inspiration for its in-game environments. You’ll see a few times in the trailer above a direct comparison between in-game footage and the live footage shot of a Scottish coast or forest. In short, it’s absolutely breathtaking what the team at CD Projekt Red is able to accomplish with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

    The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is scheduled to release in 2014 for the PS4, Xbox One and PC.

  • E3 2013: Microsoft Brings Games to its Xbox One Conference

    Gamers were wary of Microsoft’s new console when the Xbox One announcement was filled with talk of TV, sports, and Kinect. Tensions on gaming forums were raised even more when the new console’s draconian DRM policies were confirmed last week. Now, Microsoft is betting that a strong lineup of games will win over those those who are not yet onboard with its vision of next-generation gaming.

    Microsoft began its E3 2013 conference by showing off a new CG trailer for Metal Gear Solid 5, featuring glimpses of the characters that will be seen in the game. Though not an Xbox One exclusive, it set the tone for a conference filled with games that Microsoft believes will excite core gamers.

    The future of the current generation of Xbox was front-loaded to get it out of the way. The Xbox 360 has been redesigned to look similar to the Xbox One. The new Xbox 360 is available starting today. Xbox LIVE Gold members will also be receiving two free game downloads per month from July until December, as long as they don’t unsubscribe. The choice of free games will include Assassin’s Creed II and Halo 3.

    A few upcoming Xbox 360 titles were then announced, including World of Tanks, a free-to-play tank battle game, and Max: The Curse of Brotherhood a platformer with a cartoonish art style. Other titles include Dark Souls II and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.

    Phil Spencer then took the stage to kick off the Xbox One announcements.

    The first title previewed was Crytek’s Ryse: Son of Rome, a historical action game set in Roman times. The preview featured a massive battle in which the player commands his own troops while hacking away at enemies. The game will be “exclusive” to Xbox One at launch, but the phrasing of the announcement implied the title might only be a timed exclusive for the console.

    Ryse: Son of Rome

    Next up was the much-rumored reboot of Rare’s Killer Instinct, though just a short preview was shown.

    Sunset Overdrive was announced next. Made by Insomniac, the game is a “sylized, open-world shooter” in which game conditions can supposedly change constantly. The preview made the game appear to be a zombie shooter that features different, quirky characters.

    The obligatory next-generation racing title was announced in the form of Forza 5. A gameplay demo was shown for the title, and the concept of a “drivatar” was emphasized. A “drivatar” can be trained and continue to race while the console is sleeping, earning rewards for gamers.

    Forza 5 preview

    A new version of Minecraft, which became a mega-hit on the Xbox LIVE Arcade last year was shown next for the Xbox One.

    Remedy studios then expanded upon the Quantum Break reveal that came at the Xbox One reveal two weeks ago. The game will be an Xbox One exclusive, and a new preview of the game shows that time in the game will be odd, as a science experiment has caused some objects to be frozen in time.

    A cell-shaded game called D4 was up next, though not much was revealed about it.

    Project Spark was previewed next, a game-creation tool/game. Project spark was demonstrated using smartglass, with a tablet interface and Kinect being used to create simple level designs. Characters and enemies were then populated into the game world, showing how Project Spark can be used to create personalized game experiences.

    The new details about Xbox One’s connectivity were previewed next. Smartglass featured heavily, with tablet apps able to access game data from Xbox LIVE, including recordings, friend lists, and achievements. Ryse was demoed, showing how the Xbox one will be able to play one game while still matchmaking for another game.

    A Killer Instinct match that was recorded automatically by the console was uploaded using the “upload studio.” Another was then streamed via Twitch, a feature that has been built into the Xbox One.

    A few more details about Xbox LIVE were revealed before the final few game previews. Microsoft Points will be eliminated, and purchases will now be priced in local currencies. “Xbox LIVE Gold sharing” will allow family members to play online, even when the main Gold account holder is not logged on.

    Crimson Dragon, a game from the creators of Panzer Dragoon series was previewed next, though the audio for the trailer was strangely absent.

    Dead Rising 3 was announced to decent applause, and a preview for the game shows that it will be larger and more open-world than previous Dead Rising titles. Also, the game seems to be a bit more serious than other Dead Rising incarnations, with hundreds of zombies appearing on-screen thanks to the next-gen hardware.

    The Witcher 3, which was already known to be a next-generation title for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, was previewed next. The Xbox One version of the game will take advantage of the Kinect and smartglass to help with spell casting and inventory management.

    The Witcher 3 at the Xbox E3 conference

    DICE was up next to preview Battlefield 4, with a gamplay demo running at 60 fps. After a few technical audio difficulties were ironed out during an awkward pause, some single player campaign footage showed that DICE is still chasing after the gameplay of the Call of Duty titles. The set pieces and shooting were familiar, though the graphics were noticeably fantastic. The Xbox One will be getting timed exclusive DLC content for Battlefield 4.

    Below, a game from the creators of Sword & Sorcery, debuted near the end of the conference. It appears to be a moody dungeon crawler.

    A game from Black Tusk was announced as an Xbox One exclusive, though it was made clear that the game will not be released during the new console’s launch window.

    Of course, a Microsoft E3 conference wouldn’t be complete without a bit of Halo. A CG trailer featuring Master Chief served as an announcement of a new Halo game for Xbox One. The title Halo 5 was conspicuously absent from the announcement.

    Pricing and release information was, thankfully announced during Microsoft’s conference. The Xbox One will be available in November for $499/€499/£429.

    The conference ended with Respawn Entertainment’s Titanfall, the next-gen shooter title that leaked last week. The game features superhuman combatants that can battle with giant mechs called Titans.

    Titanfall battle

  • New Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Details Revealed

    It’s been less than one month since CD Projekt RED (CDPR) officially announced The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, but the Polish developer is already addressing key details an providing screenshots of the game. In fact, ever since it became official that the game would be coming to the PlayStation 4 it has seemed as if CDPR has completed much of the game’s design. The reveal that the game will be released in 2014 lends some credence to that hypothesis.

    This week, CDPR has revealed even more about their upcoming open-world fantasy RPG. In a statement released today the developer is now making bold proclamations about Wild Hunt, such as the claims that all of the players’ decisions in major plot quests and some side quests will interact with each other in some way and change the game world, “creating an even more nonlinear experience than ever before.”

    “The Witcher 3 is full of impactful decisions, and gamers will choose between storylines that exclude one another in a single playthrough, ensuring extensive replay value,” said Adam Badowski, managing director of CDPR. “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt crowns the trilogy with the main narrative, revolving around Geralt’s search for his loved ones and his conflict with the Wild Hunt. As players travel through the game, they visit lands with their own unique atmosphere, communities and memorable characters. CD Projekt RED didn’t create an open world with a singular theme, but concentrated on delivering diversified and engaging environments, 30 times larger than those in The Witcher 2.”

    That may sound like a BioWare or Peter Molyneux-level claim, but CDPR is one of the few studios that might be able pull off an in-depth next-generation RPG. At the very least, the game will provide days worth of entertainment. The studio has announced that the game’s main campaign will take around 50 hours to complete, and that “additional stories” will add another 50 hours of gameplay.

  • The Witcher 3 Announced as a PlayStation 4 Title

    Now that Sony has finally unveiled its PlayStation 4 console, developers can finally reveal their next-generation projects. Many new games, including some new IPs, were revealed at the conference and some impressive claims were made.

    However, one developer that wasn’t at the conference last night didn’t wait for Sony or Microsoft to unveil its next-generation game. Earlier this month, CD Projekt RED (CDPR) announced that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will be released for all “top-of-the-line consoles,” a thinly veiled reference to next-generation consoles. Now that the PlayStation 4 is public, the developer has followed up by making it official that Wild Hunt will be coming to Sony’s new console.

    “We were thrilled when asked, several months ago, to be one of the developers who were granted early access to the PlayStation 4,” said Adam Badowski, managing director of CDPR. “It was an exciting moment to be invited to be in the company of other legendary developers like Bethesda, EA, LucasArts, Ubisoft or Activision as one of the teams working on titles shipping early in the PlayStation 4’s lifecycle. Of course, we couldn’t reveal any specifics about this to our fans, even though many journalists and forum members asked about when and how The Witcher might show up on Sony’s console. After yesterday’s PlayStation Meeting we can finally promise: The Witcher 3 is coming to the PlayStation 4. The new hardware gives us the opportunity to create something great. We are able to work with the new console from its birth and this allows our in-house REDengine 3 to push the graphical limits of what the PlayStation hardware can display. The console is fresh and has some innovative solutions that we’re looking forward to using in our game”

    The Witcher 3 has been announced as a “fully open-world game with an intense story.” Gamers will be placed in a world larger than Skyrim and let loose to slay monsters, play politics, and craft gear.

  • CD Projekt RED Talks Up The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

    RPG fans everywhere thanked their respective deities when CD Projekt RED announced last week that it would be finishing up Geralt of Rivia’s story in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Now the developers are beginning to divulge details on what next game will bring to the table, and the lessons learned from The Witcher 2.

    As part of being Game Informer’s cover story for this month, the game’s director and lead quest designer sat down with the magazine to talk about The Witcher 3. The seven minute interview comes at you fast with a lot of information that makes The Witcher 3 sound like it’s going to be one hell of a game when it releases on PC and next-gen consoles next year.

  • The Witcher 3 Will End the Witcher Series

    The Witcher 3 Will End the Witcher Series

    The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was unveiled today via an exclusive look in the latest issue of Game Informer. Now, though, CD Projekt RED (CDPR) has released even more details on the upcoming sequel to its acclaimed series.

    First, the melancholy news: The Witcher 3 will be the final Witcher game. That may be distressing for fans of the series, but it also means that CDPR will be focusing on bringing new titles to market, rather than allowing their successful series to jump the shark.

    “People may ask if this is really going to be the last Witcher game. Yes, it is,” said Adam Badowski, managing director of CDPR. “Why? Because we believe that we should end the series on a high note. Technology has progressed to where we can finally tell the story the way we want, with the visuals we want, in the world we imagined. This will be the ultimate fantasy RPG experience, and while we’re hardly out of stories to tell, we believe it’s time for us to look to new worlds and new horizons to keep pushing the boundaries of what we can create.”

    As announced this morning, The Witcher 3 will be an open-world-style RPG, similar to the Elder Scrolls games.

    “The captivating and non-linear story of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt takes place in a rich, truly open-world environment,” said Badowski “A world which is thrilling to explore, full of daring adventures, momentous quests, memorable characters, and unique monsters. Players will freely travel through woods, lakes, mountains, cities and villages. Each region is inhabited by distinct populations with their own customs, legends and problems. The world of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is 30 times bigger than The Witcher 2,”

    The Witcher 3 will be released sometime in 2014 on “all high-end platforms,” which is code for PC and next-generation consoles. The game will be created using the recently announced REDengine 3, a game engine designed by CDPR specifically for open-world RPGs.

    The new teaser trailer for The Witcher 3 isn’t much more than a title reveal. It took around three months after the announcement of Cyberpunk 2077 for that game’s sexy trailer to show up, so a real teaser trailer for The Witcher 3 sometime this spring isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

  • The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Officially Announced

    When CD Projekt RED (CDPR) released its sexy Cyberpunk 2077 trailer, dedicated gamers picked apart every frame and discovered hidden messages. Among them was the tease that more information on a “fully open-world game with an intense story” would be coming on February 5. Speculation that The Witcher 3 would be announced quickly spread.

    It turns out the rumors were true. The Witcher 3 has been officially announced in the latest issue of Game Informer.

    According to the write-up, the game world will be even larger than Skyrim, and the story will not be split into chapters. Instead, gamers will get free reign to wander the massive world slaying monsters, getting involved with the local politics, and crafting weapons and armor.

    The screenshots of the game are supposedly running on development hardware. If true, it seems clear that The Witcher 3 will not be appearing on the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. Though CDPR did not explicitly say the game will be coming to next-gen consoles (such as the PlayStation 4), but it did say the game will appear on all “top-of-the-line” consoles, which is almost certainly code for next-gen consoles. Also, the game will be built on the recently announced REDEngine 3, a “next-gen ready” game engine specifically created for open-world RPGs.

    The video feature below reveals a bit about why CDPR chose to go the open-world route, and what may lie in store for Geralt:

  • CD Projekt RED Announces “Next-Gen Ready” Game Engine

    CD Projekt RED, the game studio behind The Witcher series and GOG, today announced its latest game engine, the REDengine 3. The developer claims the engine was created for “RPGs set in vast open-worlds with improved tools for spanning truly nonlinear stories that are based on real player choices and consequences.” That description sounds almost exactly like The Witcher 2, and also resembles what has been revealed about Cyberpunk 2077, the upcoming sci-fi game from CD Projekt.

    “If we look at RPGs nowadays we find two approaches, one which emphasizes the story but limits the game world and one that builds a vast open-world but hampers and simplifies the story,” said Adam Badowski, head of CD Projekt RED. “With the REDengine 3 we combine the positive aspects of both approaches for the first time, creating an open environment with a complex, multi-thread story. Together with believable characters, a captivating tale and a world where players can roam freely without loading times, we will be able to move gaming to a new level with a realistic feel and full player immersion. When working on our previous titles, I didn’t dream that we would achieve something like this. Thanks to the support of all our fans, now we have the possibility to use REDengine 3 and create something many RPG fans dream of.”

    CD Projekt RED stated that Cyberpunk 2077 will “have prime examples demonstrating that REDengine 3 is the perfect tool for creating immense universes filled with exciting, nonlinear adventures.” It also stated that REDengine 3 has new face and body animation systems that “offer realistic expression of emotions, movie-quality scenes, and character interactions” and that the engine will “blur the line between pre-rendered CGI movies and real time rendered graphics.” If that means Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay will look similar to its (sexy trailer), next-gen gaming can’t come soon enough.