CD Projekt Announces The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Love is in the air for devoted gamers at the beginning of February, not because of Valentine’s Day, but due to the announcement made by CD Projekt. Adam Badowski, the head of CD Projekt RED, announced that the third installment of the successful Witcher franchise is in development and would be out in 2014. Gamers are excited because the Witcher 3 is being advertised as a next generation RPG, and as a game 30 times the size of the Witcher 2.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will be an open world RPG unlike its predecessors which were broken into chapters. There will be no loading screens, there will be random weather conditions, and you would be able to sail on boats and mount horses. Furthermore, you can also do combat off horseback, so it can be predicted the game play and combat will be vastly different. The game is rumored to have over 100 hours of game play.

To support this new style of open world game play, not to mention the new combat dynamics, CD Projekt’s RED engine has been upgraded to a new version, being dubbed REDengine3 by the company.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will be the conclusion to the story of Geralt of Rivia, and will continue the story from where it was left in the Witcher 2. You would be able to import your character and your saved games from the Witcher 2. Your past choices will also have serious implications on the story.

It was initially announced that the Witcher 3 would be the end of the trilogy, but was later clarified by CD Projekt that it would only be the end of Geralt’s story. Other RPGs set in The Witcher universe will be released in the future. This news comes as relief to gamers that always wanted to create their own avatars in the game.

The Witcher, and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, sold a combined five million copies worldwide on all platforms. Both games are currently available for discounted prices at GOG and Steam. CD Projekt has also announced that they would continue their habit of pleasantly surprising their customers with free expansion packs that will follow the release of the Witcher 3.

CD Projekt also has CyberPunk 2077 in development, and it is safe to predict that things are looking up for the polish company. The team associated with the Witcher franchise is known for non linear game play, epic storytelling, innovative game designs, and a passion for given RPG fans what they want.

The company is so dedicated to the Witcher Franchise that they developed their own engine (RED) during the development phase of the Witcher 2 because they felt the old engine was not providing them with enough tools to comprehensively tell the story. With the Mass Effect franchise ending on a low point with Mass Effect 3, and Dragon Age 3 to be released soon, CD Projekt are looking to end Geralt’s story on a high note with Wild Hunt.

[Images via gameranx & gameplanet]