The Witcher Enhanced Edition Announced
New, Improved and Enhanced Version of 2007 PC RPG of the Year Coming in Late
Spring
Warsaw - February 18, 2008. CD Projekt RED is pleased to announce that in May of
this year, a new and improved version of The Witcher will appear in stores, a
game already considered by many players and media to be the best PC RPG of 2007!
Michał Kiciński, CEO of CD Projekt described the idea behind The Witcher
Enhanced Edition: "The leading idea during the development of The Witcher
Enhanced Edition is to create a game that is devoid of all of the major
criticisms levied at the original release. The Witcher was received very warmly
by both players and the media, but we are well aware that it is not a product
without its faults. There was just not enough time to perfect certain elements,
while we learned that some things needed to be changed from the players
themselves. Now we have the opportunity to introduce changes that will allow The
Witcher to provide even more enjoyment. I hope that, as a result, the game will
come even closer to the ideal RPG."
Maciej Szcześnik, Project Manager at CD Projekt RED, spoke about the content
provided in the new edition: "The Witcher Enhanced Edition will be a completely
polished product, something rarely found on the PC market. Of course, it would
have been best if the original edition could look that way. There were a few
ways the original game didn’t quite live up to our high expectations, but now
we're trying to make up for it. Work is being done on two levels: one concerns
the removal of technical obstacles that hinder the player from properly using
the game and thus gaining enjoyment from it. Some of those elements include the
loading times, which will be reduced by 80%, the stability of the game on
different PC configurations, as well as an array of smaller fixes that will
increase interactivity and precision in combat. The other level consists of very
important changes that are not usually found in patches. First and foremost, the
English-language version will, for the most part, be completely re-done. The
amount of text in that version was reduced compared to other language versions
and that was said to cause a significant decrease in immersion and atmosphere.
Now the English version will be as polished and atmospheric as the other
language versions. Speaking of other language versions, most of them will be
improved in some way. Significant changes will also be made in the German
version, where we are planning to re-record the voices for many of the
characters. The most important improvements concern those elements of the game
that players criticized the most. For example, over 50 new supporting character
models will be added, so that the player won't run into the same person too
often. The inventory panel will be re-designed and improved, and some elements
of the main game screen will be polished. However, one of the biggest changes
that will greatly increase the player's immersion in the game world will be
improvements concerning dialogue scenes. Both Geralt and non-player characters
will get over 100 new animated gestures which will make their body language
during conversations much more natural. Additionally, the facial animation and
lip-sync system will be re-created, making the faces of the speakers now even
more natural, as well. Of course, I've mentioned only the most important
changes, and that's still a lot. There will be many smaller changes that will
make the game more fun. I'm convinced that, thanks to those changes, The Witcher
will almost be the ideal game for fans of PC role-playing."
Adam Kiciński, head of CD Projekt RED spoke about publishing and the
availability of The Witcher Enhanced Edition in different parts of the world:
"Our goal is to make the Enhanced Edition available to all players all over the
world. We are currently negotiating with our publishing partners to confirm
availability dates. Our release date in Eastern Europe is May 16, and thanks to
the great support from fans, we’re confident that we will be able to bring the
game to stores around the world on that date, as well. The retail release will
be quite important for us, as we’re not just improving the game itself, but want
to improve how the title is packaged. For example, aside from the game DVD, we
are planning to include a DVD with the D'jinii Mod Editor, as well as two
additional adventures, a video DVD with extended material detailing the making
of the game, a music CD with 29 tracks from the game, a music CD with 15 tracks
of music inspired by the game, an 80-page instruction booklet, a 112-page
official guide written by the game’s developers, and a 50-page short story
written by Andrzej Sapkowski. There will also be a map of the game world. As you
can see it is quite an elaborate release and it is important to us that fans all
over the world be able to buy this version of the game. Especially considering
it will not be more expensive than the standard edition of the game! Fans that
have already bought the game need not worry, however, because the new content
and improvements will be available to them in the form of a downloadable
update."
The Witcher Enhanced Edition not only means changes in the game's mechanics or
better graphics, however. There's also an included mod editor called D'jinni
that allows players to create or modify their own adventures in the world of The
Witcher, as well as two completely new adventures created by CD Projekt RED. The
first adventure, entitled “The Price of Neutrality,” tells the story of Geralt
coming back to Kaer Morhen and finding a mysterious camp near the stronghold (3
new quests), while the second one focuses on Geralt’s close friend, Dandelion,
and his troubles in Vizima City (5 quests).
ABOUT THE WITCHER
The Witcher is an RPG about the adventures of Geralt, a professional monster
slayer, and was developed by Warsaw, Poland-based CD Projekt RED. The game is
based on a new version of the BioWare Aurora Engine, titled Aurora 2007. The
story is set in a world created in the books of Andrzej Sapkowski and sold all
over the world. The game has already managed to garner worldwide success, having
sold over 600,000 copies. It has received more than 45 awards and distinctions,
including the prestigious "Best PC RPG of 2007" from IGN.com, Gamespy.com and PC
Gamer (see the entire list of awards: http://www.thewitcher.com/community/pl/awards/).
The game has also received very high ratings from players from all over the
world, which is reflected in the average player-review scores at such sites as
Metacritic (9.4/10), GameTrailers (9.1/10) and Gamespot (8.8/10).
ABOUT CD PROJEKT RED
CD Projekt RED was established in February 2002 as the sister company of CD
Projekt. CD Projekt RED’s mission is to become one of leading RPG developers in
the world, developing games that combine the best trade practices with original
ideas. One of the company’s guiding values is working in close contact with the
players and listening and reacting to their opinions, both in the scope of
developed games and the methods of delivering them to gamers’ hands. The
studio’s first game is The Witcher, a title warmly welcomed by fans of the genre
and showered with awards by professional media. To this day, The Witcher has won
over 40 distinctions, including prestigious awards like PC RPG of the Year from
IGN.com, GameSpy and PC Gamer, as well as Gamespot’s Readers’ Choice award for
Best RPG. During only three months since the premiere, 600,000 people all over
the world have purchased the game. CD Projekt RED benefits from the experience
and financial support of CD Projekt’s publishing arm, the largest PC games
distributor in Central Europe. Currently, CD Projekt RED consists of 70 people
working on The Witcher: Enhanced Edition and another as-of-yet unannounced
project. More information is available at
www.thewitcher.com.