By Alessandro on 5 Feb, 2013 at 8:00 AM

The Witcher 3 Confirmed As A Stunning Next-Gen Sequel [Update: Gameplay Details and Release Date]

CD Projekt RED have my respect. While all these other studios tip toe about, not saying which platforms their new titles are for, they aren’t afraid to announce not one, but two next-gen titles in the space on one month. We’ve known for a long time that the developers of the famed Witcher franchise were set to announce something big today, but Game Informer got the jump on them with the cover for their latest issue which released just a few hours ago.

And guess who was riding horseback on the cover? Why good old Geralt of Rivia, new and improved with a kick ass white beard.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the next exciting chapter in the incredible Witcher series, which follows the exploits of Geralt of Rivia, one of the coolest characters in gaming to date if you ask me. While there hasn’t been an official press release by CD Projekt RED, Game Informer had a ton of information to divulge in their latest issue. The Witcher 3 will apparently be a much, much larger game. Just how large is that?

“30 times larger than the previous game – an enormous setting even larger than Skyrim’s vast expanse, made possible with the new REDengine 3 technology that developer CD Projekt RED is debuting with the game.”

So the Witcher 3 will be utilizing the same engine as Cyberpunk 2077, which has been confirmed as a next-gen title. Safe to assume that the Witcher 3 will follow suit? No need to, since it’s been confirmed that the game will be released on “all high-end platforms available” alongside the PC, which is as close as you’re going to get to a developer saying next-gen consoles before they’ve been officially revealed.

You can check out some of the game’s artwork below, courtesy of Game Informer. We’ll update this article with any new information as we wait for the official press release from CD Projekt RED. Who knows, they could even give us a release date.

Update:

Following the reveal via Game Informer earlier today, CD Projekt RED have formally announced The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, revealing some gameplay details and changes to the formula present in Assassination of Kings, the second Witcher entry.

The most notable change is the game’s shift into a more open-world structure, with the development team drawing a lot of inspiration from Skyrim (regardless of the fact that their second Witcher title was vastly superior in my opinion). Acts and chapters are gone, allowing players to explore a massive world with Geralt as he tracks The Wild Hunt, the band of spectres responsible for Geralt’s amnesia in the first two games.

With this new open-world to explore comes all new enemies for Geralt to slay, only this time there’s a bit of a difference. Enemies won’t scale to Geralt’s level, meaning you could easily wander into a pit of high levelled creatures just waiting to take a clean swipe at you long grey locks. Geralt will also apparently have some detective work to do when he’s not gutting werewolves, which translates into more than 100 hours of playing time. Anyone familiar with the series will know that side-quests have branching paths that affect the main storyline, and CD Projekt RED have refined this feature to fit the open-world setting.

Fast travel is now present so that you don’t have to walk across a map bigger than Skyrim. Geralt can mount horses for transportation and combat, but more interestingly is the addition of sailing. The new dynamic weather system will randomly generate storms and snow, bringing with it new enemies and hazards to deal with.

Combat was one of the most contested aspects of The Witcher 2, with some players feeling as though it was unfair and cheap at times. CD Projekt RED have heard these complaints and refined blocking, evading and parrying. You can still block and interrupt enemy attack animations, depleting stamina at the same time, by dodging is no longer a massive roll to the side. Instead Geralt pivots to evade attacks while maintaining the momentum of a fight. Oh, quick-time events are also out, thank the gaming gods.

But probably the most exciting news is that CD Projekt RED are much closer to finishing The Witcher 3 than Cyberpunk 2077, with the studio announcing that the game will release next year on PC and “high-end platforms”. Additionally, CDPR has promised that the game will be supported with free expansions much like The Witcher 2. Now that’s the mark of a developer who likes to keep their customers happy. Hear that…well nearly every other publisher out there.