CD Projekt Red has finally slapped an official launch date on The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, and it’s going to be just a wee bit later than fans were expecting.
The Witcher was a revelation when it came out near the end of 2007. It was deep, dark, violent, raunchy, funny and Polish, which I mention mainly because the English translation ran into a few walls along the way, and above all else it left RPG fans wanting more. We’ve known for awhile that we’d be getting more, and today CD Projekt Red finally got around to telling us when: May 17, 2011, to be precise.
“We’ve decided to move the launch date back a few weeks to afford us more time to polish the game,” said Project Lead Adam Badowski. “We strongly believe that the extra time spent polishing the title will be well worth the wait.”
CD Projekt Red has played their Witcher 2 cards pretty close to the vest thus far. The studio dropped the aged Aurora engine used in the first game in favor of brand-new technology that allows it to build the game on a “much larger scale,” and has also overhauled the combat system. Geralt of Rivia will be front and center, of course, and his merry band of drunken, brawling oafs and disapproving ladyfolk will be along for the ride, but what they’ll actually be up to is still a bit of a mystery.
The studio promised that more information would be revealed within the next few days, including details about DRM, a planned Collector’s Edition and worldwide preorder information; release dates in some territories may vary and will be confirmed as the big day gets closer. For now, RPG lovers can keep up with Witcher 2 happenings at thewitcher.com or on the official Witcher Facebook page.
