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Witcher franchise tops 4 million units sold
The Witcher franchise has managed to conjure up 4 million units in sales, developer CD Projekt Red has revealed. That means a combined 4 million units of The Witcher and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings have been sold across PC, Mac and Xbox 360.The Witcher 2 moved 1.1 million copies in 2011, while the original moved 400,000. As of May 2012, The Witcher 2 had sold a total of 1.7 million copies.The Witcher 2 will expand its reach later this year with the launch of the Japanese Xbox 360 version and a Mac port. Rumor has it the canceled console version of the original Witcher has been resurrected as well.
Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf spotted on retail sites for Xbox, PS3
Over three years since its initial cancellation, it looks like The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf may be rising again. The game has been spotted in Danish retail listings, specifically a PS3 listing at CoolShop and both PS3 and Xbox listings at Blockbuster. Neither site has a release date listed, though each advises eager fans to place pre-orders now. (If you're looking for a deal, go with CoolShop to save a cool 100 krone.)Witcher fans will remember Rise of the White Wolf as the console-specific version of CD Projekt's first Witcher game. It was slated to feature completely reworked controls for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, though the project was canceled in April of 2009. At the time, developer Widescreen Games complained of missed payments, while publisher CD Projekt claimed that all milestone payments had been made to Widescreen.CD Projekt Red's Summer Conference is slated to take place tomorrow, and promises a major announcement. That announcement, however, will not be Rise of the White Wolf, reports Eurogamer. CD Projekt told the site that it will instead be announcing its next RPG, which was revealed in recent job listings. That said, the company does have some Witcher-related "surprises" planned for this year and next year.
CD Projekt Red hiring for RPG in a 'brand new setting'
CD Projekt Red, the makers of The Witcher and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, has posted a boat-load of job openings for an unannounced "RPG in a brand new setting" over on its official blog. "We're looking for people who would rather work on an entirely new and different IP," reads the listing, "a vast RPG for which we want to assemble the best possible staff. It represents an opportunity for you to create a grand new project from the ground up!"The listing also makes reference to the developer's existing "mature dark-fantasy world," distinguishing this new project as likely separate from The Witcher (at least in location), and as one for those who "can't stomach dwarves, elves or sorceresses who put their ample charms on display in Playboy magazine."If you're an artist, programmer or designer looking for work in Poland, give it a shot! There's never any harm in trying. Well, unless you're trying to teach synchronized swimming to an uncooperative bear – there's probably a lot of harm in that.
GOG takes half off Nordic catalog pricing; plus Witcher for $5
From now until April 23 at 11:59pm ET, digital distributor of vintage PC titles GOG.com is offering discounts across the entire Nordic catalog. Games like Painkiller, Spellforce, Dark Fall and the Gothic series are all half-off until next week.On top of the Nordic discounts, GOG.com is offering the original The Witcher for a paltry $5. Of course, if you're in a rush to get to The Witcher 2 you could just go for the wrap-up video. But that's not really the same, is it?
Witcher 1: Enhanced Edition now on OSX, Witcher 2: EE gets free backup on GOG.com
The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director's Cut is now available for OSX via Steam for $9.99, CD Projekt has just announced. The port requires OSX 10.6.8 or newer, an Intel Core 2 Duo (or better) and roughly 11 gigs of free space. Since it's a SteamPlay title, users who have purchased The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director's Cut from Steam on PC will automatically receive the OSX version, and vice versa.CD Projekt also announced that every copy of The Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition includes a complimentary, DRM-free backup copy at GOG.com, regardless of where the game is actually purchased. Said backups also include any extras that may have been included with whatever version of Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition you purchased, such as art books and soundtracks.
The Daily Grind: Would you play a Witcher MMO?
I've finally conquered CDProjekt's The Witcher 2, and yeah, I'm one of those guys who devours single-player games and thinks about whether they'd make successful MMOs or not. I played the original Witcher RPG many moons ago, and one of the few things I remember about it is the tacky naked wench trading cards. Thankfully, the sequel is a superior (and less juvenile) game in every respect, and in fact it's one of the more impressive PC RPGs I've experienced in a number of years. Yeah, it's high fantasy, but it's fairly original, it's for adults, and it features fascinating lore rife with factional conflict (and a unique take on traditional elves). Would The Witcher 2's cinematic presentation and unforgiving combat translate to a traditional MMO? I don't know, but I'd definitely pay monthly for a Temerian "action MMO" akin to Vindictus. What about you, Massively readers? Would you play a Witcher MMO? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Witcher franchise sold 1.5 million copies in 2011
CD Projekt RED announced this morning that The Witcher franchise sold over 1.5 million units in 2011. The breakdown is 1.1 million copies of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings for the year, following its May launch, and another 400,000 sales of the original game, which launched in 2007."I have to admit, though, that the sales results for The Witcher, five years on from the game's premiere, are remarkable. If anything, they prove that the content we put into our games ages well," said Adam Badowski, head of the CD Projekt RED studio.A surprising statistic about the sequel, given how entrenched we think digital distribution is in PC gaming, is that digital distribution only accounted for 24 percent of the sequel's sales. Digital distribution channels had 270,000 sales of The Witcher 2, with 40,000 of those through the DRM-free GOG.com.The Witcher will also be introduced to new audiences this year when The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition makes its way to Xbox 360 on April 17.
Witcher 2, Double Fine games, more in Steam Holiday Sale today
Pace yourself! Steam's Holiday Sale is only in day two, and you can already get Costume Quest for $3.74 (or with Psychonauts for just $2 more!), Lego Batman for $5, The Witcher 2 for $24, The Witcher 1 for $2.49, and Modern Warfare 2 for $15. You're definitely going to be broke after this year's sale but, on the upside, you'll be able to play a lot of games until your electricity is shut off and you're evicted.
GOG cutting the prices of most games in half, giving Witcher with Witcher 2 purchase
Classic game distributor (and CD Projekt portal) GOG isn't one to be left out of the holiday discount phenomenon. The site revealed its sales plans for the rest of the month, including a free copy of The Witcher with Witcher 2 downloads, and a 50 percent discount on "virtually" its whole catalog.
Steam Autumn Sale: Limbo, Overlord 75 percent off
Steam's Autumn Sale continues today, with some spectacular sales on Limbo ($2.49), Civilization 5 ($10.19), the Overlord complete pack ($4.99) and more. There's also a terrible sale on Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days, wherein Steam is still asking people to actually pay for it. Steam is also offering franchise sales on The Witcher, F.E.A.R., Tom Clancy and, to keep the excitement at manageable levels, Kane & Lynch titles.
CD Projekt working on new IP, multiple multiplatform releases
According to a translation of the livestream of CD Projekt's recent Investor's Day, the Polish developer behind The Witcher is working on a brand new IP, along with a whole bunch of other releases over the next few years. The Witcher 2 is still due out on Xbox next year, and then CD Projekt says it's also working on two more "AAA+" titles for 2014 and 2015. Between then and now, the company also hopes to put out three smaller budget titles -- two with a budget/staff grade of "A", and 1 "AA"-sized game. All of the titles are set up for "multiplatform" release, though which platforms isn't yet clear. But the company says it's still working on developing the RED engine, and since that engine is already designed for PC and Xbox development, we'll guess those two. CD Projekt promises more news on all of these titles soon, and since both "AAA+" titles expect to take 3-5 years to develop, it's a good guess at least one of those is already under development. We'll keep an eye open for more.
Witcher 2 hotfix fixes Steam Achievements, 3D Vision bugs
What good is your heroic success in keeping the world of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings from slipping into ruin if none of your Steam buddies are going to hear about it? A bug in the well-received RPG kept some Steam Achievements from registering on players' accounts -- but those dark and lonely days have passed. CD Projekt Red recently launched an update for the title which remedies these incidences of accidental humility. Other problems fixed by the update include graphical snafus in 3D Vision mode, a bug which allowed antivirus software to treat game .exe files as harmful, and an error which screwed with blood textures on certain graphical settings. For instance, when the graphical quality is turned up to "savory," blood begins to look like delicious raspberry preserves.
The Witcher coming to GOG on May 10, Alone in the Dark trilogy available now
" Your name is Geralt of Rivia and you are a witcher, that means you kill monsters for a living." Well, GOG's succinct description of your role in The Witcher should eliminate any of the misconceptions you may have conjured since the game launched on PC in 2007. You're not a guy who collects or makes witches, you're not playing a smart-mouthed Cher impersonator, and you're certainly not an interior decorator who adjusts the general witchy-ness of Rivia's less desirable estates. If you want to experience The Witcher's line of work beyond that summary, you'll have to check GOG on May 10th when the "Enhanced Edition: Director's Cut" becomes available on the download service. The action RPG will cost $4.99 from then until May 24 ($9.99 afterward) and include a glut of bonus items, such as a soundtrack, wallpapers, avatars, a digital artbook and a calendar of topless fantasy women that will absolutely be open one day when your mom walks into the room. If you're looking to use all of that in preparation for The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, you'll be happy to learn that the sequel can import your original save file. In other monster news -- less slaying of and more running from -- GOG has just added the Alone in the Dark trilogy for $5.99. Those frightening polygonal blobs and creepy camera angles should stir up plenty of nostalgia, enough to last until GOG starts releasing over 25 additional games it claims is already in the process of being optimized and tested for the service.
'The Witcher: Versus' witches iPhone soon
The Witcher: Versus is a browser-based and mobile MMO spun off from CD Projekt's RPG series, in which players create custom characters, complete quests, and take part in duels against other players. And now, thanks to the recently acquired Chillingo and developer one2tribe, it's going to be an iOS game as well. Just like the other versions, players of the iPhone/iPod Touch game will be able to choose a Witcher, Sorceress or Frightener to level up and equip. Lots of leveling will be necessary, because the game features cross-platform play with the other versions, whose players have a significant headstart. The iOS version will be out "soon." [Image: Alpha version of The Witcher: Versus for iPhone, from Facebook]
The Witcher 2 still planned for consoles, CD Projekt says
Console gamers anxious to traverse CD Projekt's fictional land in The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, fear not. Confirming console plans on Facebook, CD Projekt assures us porting the game is still very much on the table. "There are some rumors about us leaving The Witcher-2-on-consoles idea," the Facebook post reads. "That's pretty weird, as we want and plan to release the game on consoles & nothing has changed in this matter. We're still sure, that Geralt & company has something to offer both - PC & console players." Of course, CD Projekt always planned to offer the first game on consoles, though that dream eventually died. Hopefully the sequel doesn't encounter the same bumps on its road to the console kingdom. [Via Eurogamer]
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings officially unveiled in debut trailer
Here we are, just three short days away from the inaugural PAX on the East Coast, and CD Projekt has gone right ahead and confirmed the sequel to the hack-n-slash RPG The Witcher via the first official trailer, posted on GameTrailers. As suggested last September, the new trailer reveals that The Witcher 2 will be subtitled "Assassins of Kings," though a publisher and proposed release date have yet to be confirmed. [Update: Atari will publish the game in North America for PC.] Additionally, no mention of projected release platforms is made in the trailer, and GameTrailers only lists "PC," seemingly refuting earlier claims that The Witcher 2 could arrive on consoles. Check out the full two-minute reveal after the break.
The Witcher 2 being developed on multi-platform engine; CD Projekt seeking publisher
Bilingual Polish gaming news site Polygamia recently did us English-speakers a great kindness by attending a CD Projekt presentation on The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, translating its findings into our native tongue. According to Polygamia, CD Projekt's Michał Kiciński and Marcin Iwiński revealed that the RPG is being developed using an "internal, multi-platform engine," which they hope will become "the vanguard among game engines, and especially RPG engines." CD Projekt's goals for the title are as lofty as you might expect -- the team claimed the The Witcher 2 will handily net an "over 90% score at Metacritic." However, before that happens, the game has to get made. The two developers explained that the studio is currently in talks with publishers and hoped to finalize distribution plans by Q1 2010. Additionally, some footage managed to leak out of the closed presentation, which we've posted after the jump. However, unless you're a diehard fan of the first Witcher, we recommend skipping it, lest you be forced to suffer seven minutes of severe thoracic discomfort. You'll see what we mean.
Report: CD Projekt going public through share deal with Optimus S.A. [update]
Update: We spoke with Paweł Dembowski at Polygamia, who helped shed some more light on the matter. The original report stated the two companies would flip-flop shares, when in reality it's more of a merger. "The major inaccuracy in the early report was that the owners of CD Projekt will become the majority shareholders of Optimus - this is not the case - they will own a half of shares, the other half being owned by the current owners of Optimus," Dembowski said. "So it's more of a merger on equal terms than a takeover on either side." Well, we're glad that mess is sorted out! You can find the original post below.Original post: The developers behind The Witcher and its upcoming sequel are looking to take their company public on the Warsaw Stock Market, Polish site Polygamia reports. It's a bit of an awkward deal, as defunct PC company Optimus S.A. will purchase CD Projekt, though the majority of Optimus S.A.'s shares will be owned by CD Projekt's CEOs -- effectively swapping shares in each other's companies. GI.biz got in touch with Karol Zajaczkowski, marketing director at CDP Red (the studio behind The Witcher, owned by CD Projekt Investment, the company that owns CD Projekt, GoG.com, etc.) and reports the move is in part to help fuel future development, obviously something the company needs to do if it wants to finish the already impressive looking The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. Karol said "this means money for future development of the whole company" and that it's "very good" for CDP. Source - Polygamia report [Via Big Download] Source - GI.biz confirms with CD Projekt's marketing head
'The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings' revealed by internal video leak
An internal video showcasing The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings has emerged on YouTube (we've got our own version above). The footage, introduced by CD Projekt CEO Marcin Iwinski, is quite impressive for an alpha-state project, especially when it comes to the combat. By adding Havok physics, CD Projekt has increased the game's range of offensive spells and the ability to destroy things spectacularly. CD Projekt RED CEO Adam Kiciński offered this statement to Joystiq in response to the video leak:"Of course, we can't and won't try to deny the facts. The movie that appeared on the various sites yesterday presents our newest project, The Witcher 2, which we've been working on for some time. We made something about half year ago, to present the first playable version of the game. Currently we are looking for a potential publisher (or publishers) for this title, and this leak is an uncontrolled side effect of that process. For today, we are not commenting on anything that concerns the game itself."More information about The Witcher 2 will be unveiled alongside the official announcement."[Thanks iHavePants!]
Steam celebrates nudity, Witcher Director's Cut discounted 30 percent
If you missed out on CD Projekt's well-received RPG The Witcher, there's two fairly compelling reasons to rectify your oversight: Steam has cut the price of The Witcher: Enhanced Edition by 30 percent, bringing the game's cost to an extremely reasonable $27.99. The game recently received a Director's Cut which patches in more female and male nudity than your fragile little brain could possibly comprehend. We're talking oodles of unclothed bathing suit areas, folks. This particular Steam markdown is running until Wednesday, August 12. Players who already possess the Enhanced Edition can download the Director's Cut patch for free. In summation: Free nudity. FREE NUDITY. (Sorry, just trying to wrangle some traffic from unsavory Google searches.)
