The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt announced for 2014 for "all high-end platforms"

[Mavrick]

CD Projekt Red has finally formally announced The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

It's due 2014 on PC and "all high-end platforms available", according to GameInformer. We've known for a long time that The Witcher 3 will be a next-gen game. The only question is, will it be on both the next Xbox and PlayStation 4?

The biggest change in design for The Witcher 3 is its shift to being open world like an Elder Scrolls game. Where you go and when you go is up to you. There won't be chapters or acts, and hero Geralt will apparently answer only to himself.

CDPR said The Witcher 3's world is 20 per cent bigger than Skyrim's, according to the GameInformer reveal (digested on NeoGAF), and will take 30-40 minutes to traverse. CDPR boasts that the new RedEngine 3 will stream all areas and eliminate load times. Whether this is true of entering interior areas, I don't know.

There's a new Monster Hunt mechanic. This apparently has you build up clues about foes using books and townsfolk talk. That information will dictate which potions you need prepare for the fight, what time of day you should seek the encounter and how you should attack. You can learn to disable a vampire's poison attack (?) by hitting its poison gland, for example, and you can kill a vampire outright if you skewer both of its hearts (!) at once.

The magic, melee and potion skill lines will be further developed. Secondary forms of spells will let you add things like a 360-degree blast. Swordplay will be even more graceful and benefit from new strikes and abilities that increase things like parrying and stamina. There's mention of a new mutation mechanic under a different development path but no further detail was shared.

The inventory will be sorted out, and crafting will be critical to making Geralt as powerful as possible. You'll be able to add things like monster scales to your pieces of armour. Weapons and armour can also be found in abundance throughout the world.

The story of The Witcher 3 has Geralt protect the world from an evil that also happens to be his arch nemesis. Geralt is fighting to save his loved ones. Like in Skyrim, there will be different tiers of quests, ranging from the fetch and carry type to the important side-quests to the overarching main quest.

There's not much to look at at the moment. A video was released with some rendered bits of footage but that's apparently running on current PC tech; the game you'll see on your new console or PC in a year's time or more will look even better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gIsYuPIKco

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...unced-for-2014

[WeApOn]

Awesome to see this will hit console -- granted it will probably be future tech from now. This series needs more exposure, and Projekt Red is one of the greatest companies of our time.

[doctorD]

I hope PS3/PS4 gets this but until they announce it as a definite I'm not holding my breath. They did release Witcher 2 on x360 so maybe their new engine will be utilized to support PS3/PS4. But you can guarantee it will definitely get a PC release as CD Projekt has mainly been a PC developer.

[Mr. J]

Witcher 1 and 2 are fantastic games. This will be a day one buy no doubt....on PC though. Cause thats where I started the series and the graphical difference is phenomenal (when comparing Withcer 2 360 to Witcher 2 PC).

With that said.....it'll be a different story if this indeed hits the PS4 and Xbox 720 or whatever the names are. I'm so curious to see the differences between them.

[CasualKiller]

If it's in a bundle with the first two I'll take it. The series always interested me but I don't game on PC. Would be rough starting at the third game in I bet.

[Havok83]

are they still gonna release any of the older games on the PS3?

[Mavrick]

I don't belive they are. They seemed to have moved on completely to next gen development.

[Gardenofstone10]

That's such awesome news!!!!!

[sukraj]

This is good news.

[doctorD]

Add another new title to the nascent Playstation 4’s roster – The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt will be coming to Sony’s new console, developer CD Projekt Red just announced. The fantasy series is known for high-fidelity graphics, so it isn’t much of a surprise that the developer would want to take advantage of a new, beefy machine hitting the market.

“It’s a real pleasure to cooperate with Sony,” said Dam Kiciński, CEO of CD Projekt in a statement, according to Polygon. “Combining CD Projekt RED’s unique artistic vision and tech with the capabilities of PlayStation 4 will make The Witcher 3 a truly next-gen RPG. With Sony’s new hardware and our new engine, there are no limits to what we can create in the process of realizing our vision for Geralt’s dark fantasy world.”

In stark contrast to the Witcher 2,the Wticher 3 will be an open-world game, boasting an all-new engine and a world 30 times bigger than its predecessor. It plans on doing that without loading screens, something that would have been impossible on current-gen systems. It will also, importantly, give its main character a beard.

I’d be surprised if this is a Sony exclusive – the developer previously said that it would be available on “high-end” consoles, clearly leaving the door open for more possibilities. But until we actually confirm the existence of a new console from Microsoft (likely at either GDC or E3), all of these games are being announced for Playstation 4 only. That’s a shot in the arm for Sony in this incipient console war.

Trailer:

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - title reveal - YouTube

Source

[Trogdor2010]

I'm still playing Witcher 1 on PC, although I have a few games on my plate (Persona 4, maybe Demon's Souls) I'll probably beat before The Witcher. It's still a very good, if very unfiltered RPG.

[Steelmaker]

Aaaaand Xbox loses yet another (console) exclusive. This is one series that my "Xbot" buddy always throws in my face in terms of a good exclusive not named Halo or Gears of War that 360 has over PS3.

[Trogdor2010]

Originally Posted by Steelmaker

Aaaaand Xbox loses yet another (console) exclusive. This is one series that my "Xbot" buddy always throws in my face in terms of a good exclusive not named Halo or Gears of War that 360 has over PS3.

Witcher 1 was never released on the 360. The 360 version of Witcher 2 was only done after the PC version was finished. Not only that, they have taken consideration of doing a PS3 version of Witcher 2 (although they probably aren't now since they have been mum about the PS3 version).

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...-the-witcher-2

They were supposed to release a version of Witcher 1 on consoles, but that version was canceled due to the reasons below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wit...8video_game%29

Console version

On November 29, 2008 a video covering the console version of the game was uploaded on the Internet. On December 2, CD Projekt RED officially confirmed that The Witcher will be ported to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles and released as The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf.[15] It had been built from the ground up for Widescreen Games' DaVinci Engine and featured a host of differences.[16] According to CD Projekt RED senior designer Jakub Styliński, the game featured a new interface, redesigned boss battles, new music, "a smattering of new models," and a redesigned character development system, in addition to an entirely new action-oriented combat system with enhanced AI, additional motion-capture animations and the ability to directly control Geralt's defensive maneuvers.[16] CD Projekt also confirmed that Rise of the White Wolf would have featured downloadable content.[16]

On April 29, 2009 it was announced that the production of the game had been halted due to late payments from CD Projekt to the French developers of the console version, Widescreen Games.[7] A release from CD Projekt's CEO Michał Kiciński stated that payments were delayed due to Widescreen games not meeting development deadlines, additionally stating that "technical incapability created a risk of missing planned quality" and that CD Projekt had ended their association with Widescreen games

[Shin-Ra]

Bet they're pleased about the 8GB GDDR5 RAM spec.

[Steelmaker]

Originally Posted by Trogdor2010

Witcher 1 was never released on the 360. The 360 version of Witcher 2 was only done after the PC version was finished. Not only that, they have taken consideration of doing a PS3 version of Witcher 2 (although they probably aren't now since they have been mum about the PS3 version).

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...-the-witcher-2

They were supposed to release a version of Witcher 1 on consoles, but that version was canceled due to the reasons below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wit...8video_game%29

You know honestly, I played The Witcher 2 on my buddy's 360 and for all the hype and praise he gave it, I didn't think it was THAT great of a game. I guess when you own a system that doesn't have a whole lot of impressive exclusive content, you're more easily amused

[doctorD]

Originally Posted by Steelmaker

You know honestly, I played The Witcher 2 on my buddy's 360 and for all the hype and praise he gave it, I didn't think it was THAT great of a game. I guess when you own a system that doesn't have a whole lot of impressive exclusive content, you're more easily amused

I've played 1 which was awesome on PC. I have 2 for PC as well but would consider getting 3 for PS4 if it doesn't differ from PC version. I heard, but not sure, that 360 version of 2 differs from PC version.

[Mavrick]

Merge the threads?

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=214201

[NARMAK]

Originally Posted by Shin-Ra

Bet they're pleased about the 8GB GDDR5 RAM spec.

who isn't?!

I think every dev will lead with the PS4 as console games go, but i can expect some lazy moaners will still be around

[Mavrick]

New Witcher 3 screenshots and details
Main narrative accounts for around 50 hours of gameplay

CD Projekt Red has released some new Witcher 3 screenshots along with some fresh details about the RPG.

The studio says the game's main narrative accounts for around 50 hours of gameplay in one play through, while additional stories help to double that length.

CD projekt Red studio head Adam Badowski says: "The Witcher 3 is full of impactful decisions, and gamers will choose between storylines that exclude one another in a single play through, ensuring extensive replay value.

"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."

The Witcher 3 will be available in 2014 "for all high-end platforms", including PlayStation 4.

[Offender_Mullet]

Originally Posted by doctorD

I heard, but not sure, that 360 version of 2 differs from PC version.

The only difference is the graphics, in which the pc destroys the console version. All the content is the same across both platforms.

Originally Posted by Steelmaker

Aaaaand Xbox loses yet another (console) exclusive. This is one series that my "Xbot" buddy always throws in my face in terms of a good exclusive not named Halo or Gears of War that 360 has over PS3.

Witcher 3 was never going to be an Xbox console exclusive. I had a large thread for the 360's Witcher 2 version here: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=174123 but the lack of replies makes me think not many of you console guys on here bought it anyway.