The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings • Eurogamer.net

Sounds like Cyberpunk 2077 decided against multiplayer

Witcher encouraging words to hear.

There's been the suggestion of multiplayer in CD Projekt Red's new game Cyberpunk 2077 for a while. In 2013, studio head Adam Badowski even told me "we're going to add multiplayer features", although he also said "it will be a story-based RPG experience with amazing single-player playthroughs". Regardless, that was five years ago, and a lot has happened since then.

Digital FoundryHow does Xbox One X's 4K-enhanced Witcher 2 compare with PC?

CD Projekt Red's vintage 2011 visuals still look great - even on ultra HD screens.

Microsoft's Xbox One X enhanced programme for classic Xbox 360 games recently added support for a very special last-gen release: The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings. I was particularly keen to check this one out because CD Projekt Red's 360 conversion effort was absolutely outstanding and with its arrival on the X, you might describe it as one technological miracle layered on top of another. The 360 release wasn't just a port, it was a top-to-bottom revamp of a PC original specifically built for the strengths of a far more capable platform. The port had many cutbacks, of course, but in some respects, I thought it actually improved on its counterpart. So with that remarkable port now upgraded for Microsoft's latest console, how does it look running on 4K displays? And how does the PC original hold up running at an equivalent ultra HD resolution, almost seven years on from its initial release?

The Witcher 2, Crackdown and Fable are being enhanced for Xbox One X

UPDATE: Microsoft makes it official.

UPDATE 5PM GMT: Microsoft has confirmed it. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings will, alongside Crackdown, Fable Anniversary and Forza Horizon, be enhanced for Xbox One X.

Witcher Netflix series reportedly helmed by Daredevil and Defenders writer/producer

But details are still Foggy.

The Witcher Netflix series will reportedly be adapted by the driving force behind Marvel's Daredevil and Defenders shows.

CD Projekt Red: "We leave greed to others"

Witcher maker tries to calm Cyberpunk 2077 concerns.

Witcher game maker CD Projekt Red has let off a zinger on Twitter while trying to calm fears Cyberpunk 2077 will be out to take more of our money.

Unseen footage from a forgotten Witcher game

History could have taken us drowner a very different path.

A decade before CD Projekt Red's The Witcher (1) was released, there was another Witcher game was being made.

New documentary unearths rare Witcher video game footage

Nekker coffee and have a watch.

A new Polish documentary has unearthed rare footage of old and unreleased Witcher games. On show are Metropolis' canned Witcher game from 1997, as well as CD Projekt Red's fumbled first efforts at a game.

Who's who in The Witcher's wonderful 10-year anniversary video

"Time is fleeting."

Developer CD Projekt has released a lovely video to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Witcher game series.

This Witcher fan film looks surprisingly good

Starring... not Geralt.

Can't wait for the Witcher Netflix series? This 30-minute Witcher fan film, Alzur's Legacy, looks surprisingly good. Perhaps it's because it's professionally made by a recognised Polish cast and competent crew - or perhaps it's because the main character isn't Geralt.

Meeting Andrzej Sapkowski, the writer who created The Witcher

Does he really hate games?

Andrzej Sapkowski has something of a reputation.

Finding the voice of The Witcher's Geralt in Horizon: Zero Dawn

See him Rivia own eyes.

Guess who pops up in Horizon: Zero Dawn? Oh I see, you read the headline. Yes Geralt of Rivia, The Witcher, how about that?

The voice behind The Witcher

How a Bournemouth lecturer became Geralt of Rivia.

It's the middle of December, 10 days away from Christmas. I'm on a train chugging along the south coast of England, across chilly countryside under a darkening grey sky. It's almost idyllic but mostly bleak, and so very ordinary - I've watched industrial estates and small villages like these roll by a hundred times before. This isn't where you'd normally go looking for a superstar.

It's been a great year for Witcher 3 dev CD Projekt. Now what?

Witcher expansion! Cyberpunk 2077! And... virtual reality?

It's been a brilliant financial year for CD Projekt, crowned by the release of The Witcher 3, a critical and commercial success that has propelled the Polish company to sales and revenue an order of magnitude higher than anything it's enjoyed before.

The Witcher 2 headlines Xbox One January back-compatibility games

UPDATE: CDProjekt's role-player now free in the UK.

UPDATE 22/1/15 11.15am: Microsoft has now set new back-compat title The Witcher 2 as free to download in the UK.

Witcher feature film planned for 2017, will begin a series

Doesn't have anything to do with CD Projekt Red.

A Witcher movie, which is nothing to do with Polish game maker CD Projekt Red, now has a global release date of 2017. It will both introduce the world of the Witcher and serve as the beginning of a series to continue in film and on TV.

The Witcher is getting a pen-and-paper RPG

Developed by Cyberpunk 2020 company R.Talsorian Games

The Witcher is getting a pen-and-paper role-playing game spin-off, developer CD Projekt Red has announced.

Games with Gold January offerings include The Witcher 2 and D4

Also MX vs. ATV Alive.

Xbox Live Gold subscribers will get The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings for free in January as part of Microsoft's Games with Gold promotion.

Get Witcher 2 free in the GOG autumn sale

Sale away, sale away, sale away.

The GOG autumn sale has begun and straight out of the traps you can get sandbox action role-playing game Mount & Blade for free (it will remain free for 48 hours).

The Witcher game that never was

Made in Poland but not by CD Projekt Red.

The Witcher 3 is out today, and so we've hauled another exciting Witcher-related article out of the Eurogamer archive for you to read again or enjoy for the first time if you missed it. Here, Robert Purchese reveals the story of the Witcher game that never was in an article first published in June 2014.

Obama praises Witcher 2, but it doesn't sound like he played it

"I confess, I'm not very good at video games..."

The last time US president Barack Obama visited Poland, back in 2011, prime minister Donald Tusk gave him a copy of The Witcher 2 Collector's Edition as a gift.

Play The Witcher 1 & 2 free on Steam this weekend

Or pay a paltry Ł3 for TW2, or Ł1.39 for TW1.

Both Witcher games are free to play (don't get that phrase confused) on Steam this weekend.

Departed Witcher 3 devs: "There is no bad blood"

"We did everything to make sure nothing bad happens."

Two key members of The Witcher 3 team officially departed CD Projekt Red last week: lead gameplay designer Maciej Szcześnik and gameplay producer Marek Ziemak.

The Witcher gets a board game spin-off

By Fantasy Flight Games.

Popular fantasy series The Witcher is getting its very own board game later this year.

2013 Steam Holiday Sale offers wicked bargains

BioShock! Batman! Monaco! More!

Steam has launched its winter sale - and there are some eye-catching bargains to be had.

Seeing Red: The story of CD Projekt

How the studio behind The Witcher went from a Polish car park to open world glory.

The Witcher 3 comes out on Tuesday, 19th May, and so we've hauled an exciting Witcher-related article out of the Eurogamer archive for you to read again or enjoy for the first time if you missed it. Here, Robert Purchese reveals the story of Witcher developer CD Projekt in an article first published in November 2013.

CD Projekt Red announces 6 million The Witcher sales

Oh, what a bit of Polish will do.

Polish studio CD Projekt Red has announced 6 million combined The Witcher sales on this, the series' sixth birthday.

In that relatively short period of time Red has gone from being a nobody into an internationally renowned somebody, crafting a next-generation RPG prestigious enough for Microsoft to feature during its important E3 Xbox One presentation this year.

To mark the occasion I travelled to Poland to see the studio with my own eyes and meet the people responsible for it. That story, CD Projekt's story, will be told in an article coming soon.

Spit and Polish.

It's befitting of a game that features an amnesiac protagonist that the recounts of its players can vary wildly from one person to the next. This variation can leave one player scratching their head in befuddlement when they hear of the events that befell another, but it's not due to anyone misremembering quest details, game features or the story's closing sequence. Instead, it has as much to do with when you played The Witcher 2 as how you played it.

Torchlight 1 free on GOG for 48 hours to kick off summer sale

Ain't never seen so much D&D so cheap.

Torchlight 1 is absolutely free right now on Good Old Games and will be for 48 hours while it kicks off the site's 2013 #NoDRM Summer Sale.

The Witcher 2 development tools released for free

Create your own Witcher mods or entirely new RPGs.

The Witcher 2 developer CD Projekt Red has released its RPG-creation toolkit for users to tinker with.

GOG End of the World sale has some cracking deals

Witcher 2 $7.50, FTL $5, etc. and then there's the bundles.

I suppose offering games for pittance makes sense if your sale only lasts a day. That's what Good old Games is doing. It's an End of the World sale and it ends 22 hours from now (5pm UK time).

Ever wondered what the author of The Witcher books thinks about the games?

UPDATE: CD Projekt Red managing director responds.

Update: CD Projekt Red has been in touch and passed on a comment written by studio head Adam Badowski in response to this interview.

VideoThe Witcher 2 debut trailer on Mac

On three platforms now!

The Witcher 2 launches on Mac today, both on Steam and GOG

UPDATE: 50 Mac games on GOG! REDkit modding tool due next year! Cyberpunk gets 2077 subtitle!

Update: GOG has 50 games available for Mac as of today. Purchase a title on PC or Mac and get the other version for free.

New customers who sign up will get nine games for free, including: Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar, Beneath A Steel Sky, Lure of the Temptress, Ultima: Worlds of Adventure 2, and Tyrian 2000.

Several other games are 50 per cent off including The Witcher: Enhanced Edition, Theme Hospital, Sim City 2000, Postal: Classic and Uncut, Crusader: No Remorse, and Little Big Adventure.

Guidelines say that games may have "greater impact" on minors than film.

The Australian games industry has given a mixed response to the long awaited guidelines for the new R18+ rating which covers games with adult content.

Witcher 2, Battlefield 3, Minecraft dominate European Games Awards

Euro visionaries.

Yesterday evening was the European Games Awards, voted for by a record 230,000 European people online.

REDkit modding toolset announced for The Witcher 2

Make your own "complex and non-linear adventures".

Polish studio CD Projekt Red has two, big, next-generation projects under way - Cyberpunk and The Witcher 3 - but hasn't moved on from The Witcher 2 just yet.

Community modding tools for the game will be unveiled this week at Gamescom that will let you make "complex and non-linear adventures in the world of The Witcher 2".

The tools will be labelled as the REDkit.

"There's still a lot of space for innovation in the RPG genre."

Don't take the Multiplayer Programmer job at advert for CD Projekt Red to mean, unequivocally, that The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk will feature multiplayer.

The Witcher series sells over four million copies

Selling every witch way.

The Witcher and its sequel The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings have cumulatively sold over four million copies, developer CD Projekt RED has announced.

The first Witcher was only released for PC and Mac, while its sequel launched last year on PC before receiving a snazzy enhanced edition on Xbox 360 a few months back. A Mac release is expected later this year, and the Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition will see and Xbox 360 release in Japan come August.

The series is based on Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski's bestselling fantasy novels about an amnesiac monster hunter named Geralt.

The Witcher 2 sales top 1.7 million

One week 30% off sale now live, Mac release soon.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings has now sold 1.7 million copies since launch, developer CD Projekt has announced.

That figure includes sales on both PC and Xbox 360.

To celebrate, the PC version of the game is now on sale for your local equivalent of $29.99 for one week only via GOG. That's a 30 per cent saving.

Witcher 2 dev to reveal first details on "second triple-A RPG" tomorrow

UPDATE: First piece of artwork released.

UPDATE: CD Projekt has released the first piece of art from the title. Take a look below.

ORIGINAL STORY: The Witcher developer CD Projekt will unveil its new role-playing game tomorrow during a press conference, it has confirmed to Eurogamer.

It will NOT announce Witcher 1 for consoles, as speculated today.

From the archive: Digital Foundry on the genesis of the epic RPG and its miraculous Xbox 360 adaptation.

This week, Microsoft re-released The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings via backward compatibility, and for a limited time, the game is available to download for free for Xbox 360 and Xbox One owners in selected regions. It's a welcome gift and well worth checking out on either console, especially as it runs rather well on the new Microsoft console. With that in mind, we decided to republish our article on the game's technological genesis, first published in May 2012.

Digital FoundryThe Witcher 2 Time-Lapse #3 Video

The last in a series of three Witcher 2 time-lapses from creators CD Projekt Red.

Digital FoundryThe Witcher 2 Time-Lapse #2 Video

The second in a series of time-lapse videos showing the astonishing REDengine at work.

Digital FoundryThe Witcher 2 Time-Lapse #1 Video

The first in a series of three engine-driven time-lapses created by CD Projekt Red.

UK Top 40: The Witcher 2 conjures first place

FIFA Street booted off top spot.

Polish role-player The Witcher 2 has stormed the UK all-format charts, taking first place.

Eurogamer.net Podcast 109: Fez! Trials! Witcher!

Oli and the Toms talk XBLA's greatest and the world's worst tutorial before playing some music!

Ready your accusations of bias, because this week's Eurogamer.net podcast is a bit of an Xbox-fest - by accident, not design, we promise. That's if three awesome 360 sort-of-exclusives releasing in the space of six days is an accident! (It probably is.)

VideoThe Witcher 2 choir belt it out video

How the choral magic happens.

Digital FoundryTech Analysis: The Witcher 2

Bewitching.

When the original Witcher launched back in 2007, the game received plenty of positive reviews, but the utilisation of BioWare's Aurora technology disappointed many. Developer CD Projekt RED's response? A state-of-the-art engine that powered one of the most technically accomplished, outright beautiful releases ever seen on PC: The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings, released in May last year.

Digital FoundryThe Witcher 2 Xbox 360 Cut-Scene Performance Video

A look at how the RED Engine copes on the Xbox 360 during the more taxing cut-scene sequences.

Digital FoundryThe Witcher 2 Xbox 360 Gameplay Performance Video

Combat scenes analysed in CD Projekt RED's phenomenal Xbox 360 conversion of The Witcher 2.

VideoThe Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition Xbox 360 launch trailer

Vast fantasy role-player due for launch on Tuesday.

UPDATE: Namco Bandai asks supermarket to pull game off shelves.

UPDATE: Namco Bandai has been in touch to say it's reminded Tesco of The Witcher 2's street date and asked for the game to be pulled off of shelves.

Digital FoundryThe Witcher 2: Enhanced 360 vs. Non-Enhanced PC Video

Comparing the patched (but not Enhanced) PC version of the Witcher running at close to max settings, with the newly launched Xbox 360 Enhanced Edition.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings - Enhanced Edition Review

Something wicked this way comes.

"Legends are almost always beautiful. The reality often leaves a lot to be desired."

The witcher's remark is aimed at the Elves, who have strained out the grit of life, love and loss before writing down their history, leaving only romantic, idealistic odes to the past. But it could just as easily be applied to the role-playing game: video game memories that sit warm and pretty in the heart, the reality of their original awkwardness so often lost to time and nostalgia.

So we remember the vainglory of slaying the dragon atop a mountain in Skyrim, not the 20 minutes of tacking zig-zigs on horseback that it took to reach its summit. So we remember Aerith's hands clasped on her still chest in Final Fantasy 7, not the machinegun volley of random battles that prevented us from reaching her in time to save her life. So we remember the silhouette of Fable's sheepdog fighting faithful by our side, not those times he caught upon a sticky polygon, or lost his mind to AI Alzheimer's and tore off to greet the distance. Legends are almost always beautiful. The reality often leaves a lot to be desired.

GOG.com: Steam sales send wrong message to gamers

"This game, simply put, isn't worth very much."

Digital platform GOG.com has questioned the frequent sales on rival online shop Steam, saying heavy discounting sends the wrong message to gamers.

Managing director Guillaume Rambourg and marketing boss Trevor Longino told Rock, Paper Shotgun that Steam discounts can devalue the games included in them.

"Selling games at too high a discount - one often sees discounts above 80 per cent off here and there - sends a message to gamers: this game, simply put, isn't worth very much," the pair said.

The Witcher interactive comic announced for iOS, The Witcher: Enhanced Edition for Mac

Plus, Namco confirms GAME will stock The Witcher 2 on Xbox 360.

An interactive digital comic set in The Witcher universe launches for iPad and iPhone on 17th April, developer CD Projekt has announced.

The free app sees series protagonist Geralt facing off against a werecat in a fight to the death. You'll interact with the story at various points via touch screen controls. A brief clip shown at CD Projekt's Spring Conference earlier today showed a young maiden being undressed with the swipe of a finger. Saucy stuff.

The Polish developer also announced that The Witcher: Enhanced Edition is now available for Mac exclusively from Steam, priced at Ł6.99/€7.99. It's a hybrid version of the game that works across PC and Mac - if you already own it on PC, you now get a free Mac version too.

Every single copy scribbled on.

Amazon's entire stock of The Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition for Xbox 360 has been hand-signed by the development team.

The Witcher 2 Enhanced Edition signing images

VideoThe Witcher 2 cinematic reveals backstory

Arty animation contains Witcher 1 spoilers.

Witcher dev giving away "legendary" PC RPG free on GOG.com on Thursday

Plus: More detail on "extraordinary" Spring Conference announcement.

CD Projekt Red will give away a "legendary" PC RPG for free on GOG.com this Thursday, 5th April, Eurogamer can reveal.

VideoThe Witcher 2 February press event video

Can you spot Eurogamer's John Bedford?

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings - Enhanced Edition Preview

I need a hero.

I think for the most part we get a bit of a raw deal in the hero stakes these days. At one end of the spectrum, you have the likes of the wordy John Shepard, a man who's always struck me as more of a council mediator working through a series of lengthy noisy-neighbour disputes than a saviour of the universe. At the other end, there are the quieter meat-heads who let their guns do their talking, backed up with the kind of crotch-enhancing space armour all too reminiscent of those horrifyingly tight, shiny suits that Jamie Redknapp's fond of wearing on Sky Sports.  

And as I grow older and fartier with what seems like every passing second, it's characters like Geralt of Rivia I find myself growing closer to - the more life-like middle ground where pleasantly brutal violence goes hand-in-hand with believable characters, convincing relationships and repercussions.

In reality it's simply not the done thing to deal with life's infinite array of petty irritations by tracking down the instigator and planting a silver sword in their anus before winding down with a nice cup of coffee and a pancake. This makes me sad.

The Witcher 2 360 'Dark Edition' sells out in UK

Collector's Edition remains a GAME exclusive.

Struggling UK retailer GAME has some good news to celebrate after its recent stocking problems - publisher Namco Bandai intends for The Witcher 2, due out on 17th April, to be available to buy in its stores.

The pre-order version of the collector's 'Dark Edition' of The Witcher 2 on 360 (exclusive to the high-street chain) has now sold out, while pre-order boxes for the standard release 'Enhanced Edition' of the upcoming PC port will enter stores this week.

Speaking to Eurogamer, publisher Namco Bandai confirmed the supply situation.

VideoBehind the scenes of The Witcher 2 cinematic trailer

Painstaking CGI work, mo-cap revealed.

"You'll experience some better visual quality."

The Witcher 2 developer CD Projekt RED strongly recommends installing the game to the console's hard drive for the best performance.

VideoThe Witcher 2 on Xbox 360 footage

Meet the characters in April's console version.

VideoThe Witcher 2 Xbox 360 enhanced edition trailer

PC role-player reaches Xbox in April.

The Witcher 1 sold 400,000.

Fantastic PC (and soon Xbox 360) RPG, The Witcher 2, sold 1,110,055 copies last year, developer CD Projekt Red has revealed.

Witcher dev's two 2014/2015 "AAA+" games are simultaneous PC, next-gen console releases

One is new IP, one is The Witcher 3.

The next two major titles from Polish developer CD Projekt Red, scheduled for 2014/15, will be simultaneous multi-platform releases for PC and next-generation consoles, detective Eurogamer has discovered.

Will there be a PS3 version of The Witcher 2?

It would need new content, CD Projekt tells Eurogamer.

It sounds like a PlayStation 3 version of The Witcher 2 hangs in the balance - does CD Projekt remake the same adventure again for a new audience, or does it build a new adventure for existing fans?

VideoThe Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition Xbox 360 trailer

Developers reveal how player choice affects the game.

Yeah it's OK.

That very lovely Witcher 2 intro cinematic - the one with the bloke on the boat and the blood - was the "most expensive asset we ever created", developer CD Projekt Red told Eurogamer.

VideoThe Witcher 2 Xbox 360 version cinematic trailer

PC role-player lands on 16th April.

"This is our approach, our policy."

No, Saints Row developer Volition - the next Xbox possibly preventing people from playing pre-owned games "can be a bad thing".

The Witcher 2 on Xbox 360 screenshots

Looks fantastic.

VideoThe Witcher 2 Xbox 360 enhancements trailer

Fresh missions and other console content.

Geralt load of this.

The Witcher 2 Xbox 360 screenshots

Role-play this.

The Witcher 2 Xbox 360 release date announced

CD Projekt details Enhanced Edition, Dark Edition.

The Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition launches worldwide for Xbox 360 on 17th April, developer CD Projekt has announced.

The developer has added a raft of new features and insists it's the "most polished and definitive version of the game".

Here's a summary of what you can expect from the console release:

Risk of wrongly accusing a fan too high.

Otherwise evangelised game developer CD Projekt Red has promised to "immediately cease" its questionable practice of sending letters to alleged pirates of The Witcher 2, and threatening legal action against them unless they pay nearly €1000.

Stream games with Gaikai on Eurogamer.net right now

Play FIFA 12, Crysis 2, The Witcher 2 and Magicka in your web browser.

Do you like playing games? Do you especially like playing games without having to move from exactly where you are seated reading this news story?

CD Projekt responds to demanding nearly €1000 from alleged pirates

Says it only takes legal action when "100% sure".

CD Projekt has not denied sending letters to German gamers demanding nearly €1000 for allegedly pirating role-playing game The Witcher 2.

Witcher 2 headlines GOG.com Christmas sale

Bundled with Witcher 1 for Ł14.99.

The GOG.com Christmas sale kicks off on 8th December.

The Witcher 2 pirated 4.5 million times, reckons CD Projekt

Studio boss reiterates "DRM does not work".

The Witcher 2 has been illegally download at least 4.5 million times, developer CD Projekt has estimated.

Witcher dev making two "AAA+" games for 2014/15

One is new IP.

The Witcher 2 developer CD Projekt is making two blockbuster "AAA+" games for 2014/2015, the company has confirmed to Eurogamer.

GOG.com to take on Steam, Origin with addition of new games

Will come at a new, higher price point.

GOG.com is set to take on Valve's Steam and EA's Origin with the addition of newer games to the service.

CD Projekt: Witcher 2 GOG.com sales vindicate DRM-free decision

35,000 copies sold over the first 6 months.

Sales of fantasy role-playing game The Witcher 2 on GOG.com vindicated CD Projekt's decision to release it DRM-free, it has said.

For the first six months following launch CD Projekt shifted 35,000 copies of the game digitally through GOG.com, which it owns. GOG.com sold the second most units across all platforms.

Top was, of course, Steam. More than 195,000 units were sold through Valve's digital platform. All other digital distribution outlets combined sold approximately ten thousand units.

How Bad is PC Piracy Really?

DRM or not to DRM, that is the question.

"Make no mistake," said SEGA this week, "if one quarter of the people that usually pirate [Football Manager] switch to purchasing Football Manager 2012, the sales of the game worldwide would more than double." That was the eye-opening statistic used to justify Football Manager 2012 requiring Steam to play. In other words, more than 80 per cent of people playing Football Manager are doing so with a pirated copy.

The Witcher 2 2.0 patch notes

Modes aside, what's changed?

The patch notes for The Witcher 2 update 2.0 have been revealed. The update will roll-out this Thursday, 29th September, and will be free to all PC users.

The 2.0 changes will be present in Q1 2012 Xbox 360 adaptation of The Witcher 2.

Aside from the gameplay tweaks, fixes and adjustments, The Witcher 2 update 2.0 will also bring three significant new modes: Arena, Dark Mode and a new tutorial.

New Witcher 2 on Xbox 360 details

Even more content, two discs, more.

The Witcher 2 on Xbox 360 will get extra story content as well as the 2.0 enhancements, Dark Mode, Arena, new tutorial and new four minute opening cinematic, CD Projekt Red has revealed.

And, crucially, it will all be offered for free on PC, either "around the same time" or very shortly after. "If there's going to be some differences they're not going to be like months," story designer and writer Jan Bartkowicz told Eurogamer in an interview following his Witcher 2 Expo presentation. "They're going to be more into days. It's what I think is going to happen."

During his presentation, Bartkowicz showed a slide with 12 bullet points, each referring to a new feature coming to The Witcher 2 on Xbox 360 (and, we now know, PC). Four were filled out (Dark mode, Arena, tutorial, CGI opening). The remaining eight were greyed out and blank.

CDP teases Witcher 2 expansion, Witcher 3

Still "at least one big title ahead of us".

Fans of The Witcher 2 can tentatively begin looking forward to an expansion pack as well as The Witcher 3, CD Projekt Red has hinted.

Game designer and writer Jan Bartkowicz dropped heavy hints about both to Eurogamer today.

"We still have at least one big title ahead of us in The Witcher franchise," he told us.

Witcher 2 2.0 dated and detailed

Plus, new info on Xbox 360 version.

The beefy 2.0 update for PC RPG The Witcher 2 goes live on 29th September, developer CD Projekt has announced at its Autumn conference.

VideoThe Witcher 2 on Xbox 360 trailer

Ported from PC early next year.

Witcher 2 sales are nearly 1 million

Takes PC RPG two months.

Fantastic PC role-playing game The Witcher 2 has sold nearly 1 million copies, according to a new report.

The number recorded by developer CD Projekt was 940,00 sales for the first half of 2011, according to the Warsaw Business Journal (via Gamasutra).

Of those sales, 200,000 were digitally distributed copies of The Witcher 2.

Witcher 2 2.0 update adds Dark Mode

Arena Mode and tutorial also coming.

A hefty new update for acclaimed RPG The Witcher 2 brings a number of new game modes to the CD Projekt-developed title next month.

As detailed in the developer diary below, update 2.0 adds "20 technical enhancements", various gameplay tweaks and a number of major new features.

Chief among them is Dark Mode, which is a new difficulty level pitched just below Insane. As well as upping the challenge it also adds in a number of super-powerful new "Dark" items to mess around with too.

The Witcher 2 patch 1.35 released

Click Rivia mouse.

CD Projekt has released a significant update for The Witcher 2, numbered as patch 1.35.

Issues tackled include Steam Achievements errors, auto-patcher errors and 3D Vision errors.

You can find The Witcher 2 patch 1.35 on the CD Projekt website.

Witcher 2 Xbox 360 delayed to 2012

CDP to "polish the title to perfection".

The Xbox 360 version of fantasy role-playing game The Witcher 2 has been delayed.

Free DLC with Witcher 2 patch 1.3

And no more punching Vergen woman.

The patch notes for Witcher 2 version 1.3 have been shared online by developer CD Projekt.

The update contains a free new quest called A Sackful of Fluff, which takes place in Chapter 2.

Patch 1.3 also adds item storage; a Junk category to your inventory; a disappearing HUD for screenshot taking; and deactivates the option to punch the woman praying at the statue in Vergen.

"We do want to make it accessible."

Witcher 2 developer CD Projekt Red will make the Xbox 360 version's easy difficulty setting easier than the PC version's.

CD Projekt hypes Witcher 2 Xbox visuals

Aiming for PC graphics on medium settings.

CD Projekt RED aims to make the Xbox 360 version of fantasy role-playing game The Witcher 2 look almost as good as the PC version when played on medium specs.

Witcher 2 PS3: dev "would love" to do it

CD Projekt wants "a good PS3 developer".

A PlayStation 3 version of superb fantasy role-playing game The Witcher 2 looks likely.

Cheap This Week - 09/06/11

Arkham City! Mass Effect 3! Witcher 2!

It's an early bird special this week, with many of the biggest upcoming games available to pre-order now for really low prices. With all the new announcements coming out of E3, it looks like we've got an exciting year of gaming ahead of us, and this is your chance get in on the fun at discount prices.

VideoThe Witcher 2 Xbox 360 reveal teaser

PC role-player confirmed for console.

The Witcher 2 update 1.2 detailed

Find out how to give Geralt a haircut.

Update 1.2 for CD Projekt's The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is now ready for download from the game's official site.

The patch, announced yesterday, brings with it a long list of tweaks, including a fix for an issue that was preventing Witcher 1 game saves from being exported into the sequel. The full changelog is below.

The update also includes a new DLC pack called Barbers and Coiffeuses which adds hairstyling services for Geralt at various locations throughout the gameworld.

Witcher 2 patch 1.2 arrives tomorrow

Brings new Barbers & Coiffueses DLC.

A new patch for The Witcher 2 goes live tomorrow, developer CD Projekt has announced.

Update 1.2 brings with it over 50 improvements including balance tweaks, key mappings, improvements for combat target locking, fixes for importing The Witcher 1 save games and various exploit patches.

A full changelog is expected any minute – we'll update as soon as it comes in.

Witcher 2 on Xbox 360 in November

UPDATE: CDP confirms 2011 release.

UPDATED: Developer CD Projekt has confirmed the news during its Summer Conference - the The Witcher II is coming to Xbox 360 later this year with all the content from the PC version intact.

CD Projekt explains 9GB Witcher 2 patch

Will all updates be this big?

Eyeballs popped yesterday when owners of The Witcher 2 realised patch 1.1 on Steam was an enormous 9GB.

Why was it so big? Because the patch altered the entire 9GB Witcher 2 archive file, which Steam users were forced to re-download.

The actual 1.1 patch was only 15MB.

The Witcher 2 patch 1.1 problems

Game launcher "does not work properly".

The downloadable content option in The Witcher 2 game launcher "does not work properly, please don't use it".

That's the advice of game developer CD Projekt, which addressed patch 1.1 criticisms on its blog. Add-ons for Witcher 2 can be downloaded independently by emailing special addresses specified on the website.

"The Downloadable content option in the Game Launcher does not work properly, please don't use it," sated CD Projekt.

The Witcher 2 goes DRM-free

Update 1.1 finally goes live.

Update 1.1 for The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings finally goes live today following a delay earlier this week, and removes all DRM measures from the game, developer CD Projekt has announced.

The Witcher 2 patch 1.1 delayed

Dev "encountered some problems".

The upcoming Witcher 2 patch 1.1 has been delayed.

"The good news is that the patch is ready," read an update on The Witcher website. "The bad news is that we have encountered some problems with the server infrastructure, making downloading DLC impossible.

"We want to apologise to our fans for not meeting our target of delivering the patch last night."

Witcher 2 1.1 patch details, date

Plus a second patch next week.

CD Projekt has revealed details of the first major The Witcher 2 update, Patch 1.1.

The plan is to release these changes this evening, as well as a second patch next week.

All versions of the game - both retail and digital - will get the patch. Only the Russian version will be incompatible. CDP is aware of the problems in the Russian version and talking with 1C about "possible solutions".

ESRB outs Witcher 2 on Xbox 360

Sabbath time.

The American age ratings board ESRB has outed an Xbox 360 version of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.

CD Projekt defends Witcher 2 difficulty

Plus, promises "huge" patch due soon.

While The Witcher 2 landed in stores last week to almost universal acclaim a number of users, and reviewers, raised concerns about the RPG's brutal learning curve.

New Witcher game to be announced at E3

"Console gamers might be interested."

A new Witcher game will be announced at E3 next month, developer CD Projekt has told Eurogamer.

Could it possibly be the mooted console version of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings? Senior producer Tomasz Gop wasn't giving much away, but did hint that CD Projekt might have good news for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 users.

"I can't say anything obviously for gazillions of reasons but it is a Witcher game, and I can say that console gamers might be interested in it," he explained.

UK Top 40: LA Noire catches first place

The Witcher 2 conjures fifth.

Epic crime caper L.A. Noire has locked up the top spot in the UK charts. It is the fastest-selling new video game IP ever in the UK.

Game of the Week: The Witcher 2

Pieces of nine.

Weeks like this don't come around too often.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Son of a witch.

Do you know that strange bit of gaming folklore that an RPG can be judged by its first town? It's true more often that not. Baldur's Gate 2 was a planet-sized experience that thrilled in first setting you loose in the intimidatingly vast city of Amn. The first Fallout's settlement of Shady Sands was a bleak scrap of nowhere where the primitive inhabitants could be saved, perhaps, but they could also be exploited.

The Witcher 2's first quest hub, the damp and drunken swamp town of Flotsam, is as true a statement of intent as I've ever seen in an RPG. If you didn't play the first Witcher and aren't aware of the setting and mythology behind these games, a description of Flotsam should bring you up to speed.

Flotsam is a gory place. On one side, the stinking, moss-coloured Pontar river dutifully carries a huge number of trade vessels, but also a legendary monster. On the other, a larger-than-life fairytale forest hides everything from colonies of burrowing, bloodthirsty imps ("Nekkers") to the Scoia'tael, a guerrilla army of elves.

Geralt bails on AC hay diving.

VideoThe Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings trailer

Gritty role-player out now on PC.

Valve calms The Witcher 2 DRM concern

Dummy SecuROM files in Steam version.

Valve has confirmed that the Steam version of fantasy role-playing PC exclusive The Witcher 2 does not include digital rights management after players found reference to the dreaded SecuROM in the game.

VideoThe Witcher 2 trailer slices in

Polish blockbuster out today on PC.

Day one The Witcher 2 DLC revealed

All DLC to be free.

Polish developer CD Projekt has revealed the first downloadable content for fantasy role-playing game The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.

Out This Week - 20/05/11

L.A. Noire! Witcher 2! DOA! NMH!

Open-world gaming royalty Rockstar this week decrees you turn your attention from Westerns to the film noir genre.

VideoThe Witcher 2 locations featurette

Inside the game's taverns and caverns.

VideoThe Witcher 2 shows off living world

CD Projekt programs dynamic NPCs.

CD Projekt clarifies Witcher 2 console talk

"It's not going to look like crap, definitely."

Work won't begin on a console version of The Witcher 2 until the flagship PC release has happened, CD Projekt has explained to Eurogamer.

VideoWitcher 2 dev diary talks combat

For Witcher for poorer.

The Witcher 2: Assassins Of Kings

Something pretty wicked this way comes.

It's going to be an incredible year for RPGs: this much is clear. After a year in the relative wilderness with only the dry bones of Dragon Age II to gnaw on, the remaining months of 2011 now promise us the excitements of Skyrim, Mass Effect 3 and a lesser-known game that we're now sure can stand tall amongst such towering names: The Witcher 2.

VideoWitcher 2 dev diary talks characters

For Witcher for poorer.

No internet link needed for Witcher 2

No DRM or censorship for RPG sequel.

A permanent internet connection will not be necessary to play forthcoming PC RPG The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, developer CD Projekt has revealed.

Witcher 2 shots are sweary, beautiful

Siege the day.

The Witcher 2 system specs detailed

16GB of hard disk space recommended.

System requirements for forthcoming PC RPG The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings have gone public.

The Witcher 2

400 year-old Vergen.

I'm an explorer at heart. I'm never happier than when I'm lost in a world that exists for its own sake, rather than as a fleshed-out backdrop for 20 predetermined hours of linear derring-do.

VideoCD Projekt tours the world of Witcher 2

Location, location, location.

ACS: Law quits over death threats

Letter sending lawyer has had enough.

The solicitor behind one of the companies responsible for sending threatening letters to illegal file-sharers has ceased his work following death threats.

Game piracy "4:1 against legitimate sales"

UKIE claims.

For every one game sold at retail four are pirated, the UK's game publisher organisation claims.

The estimate is based on information received from "a number of publishers", UK Interactive Entertainment told Eurogamer sister site GamesIndustry.biz.

It was attempting to clarify a BBC report which claimed people who play illegal copies of videogames on chipped or modified consoles cost at least Ł1.45 billion in lost sales in 2010.

Witcher 2's insane difficulty revealed

Die and start the game from the beginning.

The Witcher 2's insane difficulty is just that – if you die you have to start the game again from the very beginning.

VideoWitcher 2 dev talks game's new engine

Will your PC be up to scratch?

VideoWitcher 2 trailer shows pre-order swag

Artbook! Cards! Dice! A statue!

16 Witcher 2 endings claim clarified

Relates to "states of the world".

Polish developer CD Projekt has clarified its claim that PC exclusive role-playing game The Witcher 2 has 16 endings.

DRM treats gamers like "criminals"

Witcher 2 dev CD Projekt hates it.

The Witcher 2 developer CD Projekt reckons digital rights management treats gamers like "criminals".

Will The Witcher 2 come to console?

We travel to Poland to find out.

If Polish developer CD Projekt creates PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of promising fantasy RPG The Witcher 2, it'll release them just "a matter of months" after the PC version launches on 17th May 2011, Eurogamer has learnt.

The Witcher 2 enters battle in new screens

Warlocked and loaded.

The Witcher 2: We're not afraid of Dragon Age

Senior producer Tomasz Gop on creating a PC-exclusive fantasy.

Last week Polish publisher/developer CD Projekt held a press conference in a trendy Warsaw club to reveal the innards of the Collector's Edition and Premium Edition of upcoming fantasy role-playing game The Witcher 2: Assassin's of Kings. Eurogamer was there to bear witness to the amazing scenes.

Witcher 2 torrents could net you a fine

"There's a chance you'll get a letter" - dev.

Gamers who download upcoming PC exclusive The Witcher 2 illegally could receive a letter demanding they pay a fine or face legal action.

The Witcher 2 special editions spelled out

Figurine fans, steel yourselves.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is to get two different special editions for its May 2011 release, publisher Namco Bandai has announced.

Good Old Games to sell The Witcher 2

UPDATE: pre-order now, pay later.

Update: CD Projekt has made the news official and there are a couple of extra points to make.

The Witcher 2 Collector's Edition

Witcher 2 Collector's Edition leaked

GameStop at it again.

The Witcher 2 Collector's Edition includes an exclusive in-game item, a making-of DVD and other gubbins.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings dated

PC gamers May be happy.

PC fantasy role-playing game The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings will be released on 17th May 2011, creator CD Projekt's announced.

VideoEG Expo: The Witcher 2 session

Put on your robe and wizard hat.

VideoBehind the scenes of Witcher 2

Developer CD Projekt gets familiar.

Console Witcher 2 now just a "potential"

"Not likely" to be simultaneous with PC.

Fans hoping to play the console version of The Witcher 2 - announced alongside the PC game last year - were dealt a blow today after CD Projekt described it as merely a "potential" release.

Story is Witcher 2's "ultimate feature"

Plus: campaign length, camera and mod info.

The Witcher 2 developer CD Projekt has bigged up its new engine, TSOOD, showcased new action elements and a streamlined dialogue system for its role-playing sequel – but reassured fans that non-linear story is still the biggest deal.

Witcher 2 dev: RPGs not in competition

Says BioWare was influenced by Witcher.

CD Projekt scriptwriter Jan Bartkowicz reckons that role-playing games like Dragon Age and The Witcher 2 don't compete with each other, because fans of the genre are more likely to buy everything they can get their hands on than fans of action or sports games would be.

Eurogamer Expo Sessions: CD Projekt presents The Witcher 2

On multiple endings and erotic themes.

Expo! It's been a hell of a weekend for developer session speakers at the Eurogamer Expo so far. We've had Peter Molyneux and Tim Willits and all sorts. Today we've got CD Projekt showing off The Witcher 2. Senior producer Tomasz Gop and level designer Marek Ziemak were on hand to show how things are going for good old Geralt now he's in a new game engine with refined combat, improved dialogue systems and a newer and much bigger story.

VideoThe Witcher 2 prison break trailer

Because nudity sells games.

The Witcher 2 will have 16 endings

And just four load screens.

CD Projekt has boasted that The Witcher 2 will have a whopping 16 game endings, whereas the first game had only three.

VideoThe Witcher 2 footage

If you can Blair it.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

VideoAll about The Witcher 2

In depth analysis from the development team.

The Witcher 2 still heading to console

CD Projekt reacts to rumours.

CD Projekt has quashed rumours that console versions of The Witcher 2 have been scrapped.

Namco Bandai to distribute Witcher 2

Date "2011", consoles not mentioned.

Namco Bandai has signed-on as European distributor of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.

VideoThe Witcher 2 debut trailer

Crowned heads will roll.

VideoGet the latest on The Witcher 2

Big plans for CD Projekt's sequel.

VideoThe Witcher 2 dev diary

VideoThe Witcher 2 cutscene

The Witcher 2

Fuedal for thought.

The Witcher: Versus coming to iPhone

Portable version of browser duel game.

The Witcher is to get a spin-off for iPhone and iPod Touch, reports Destructoid.

The Witcher 2 dated, detailed

Updated with CD Projekt comment.

Polish developer and publisher CD Projekt plans to release The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings for PC in Q1 2011. Console versions are planned but the details are yet to be revealed.

VideoFirst trailer for The Witcher 2

Geralt returns in Assassins of Kings

CD Projekt suspends FPS They

Metropolis to work on Witcher 2 instead.

Polish publisher CD Projekt has suspended production on They, a first-person shooter for PC, PS3 and 360. Developer Metropolis Software will be put to work on The Witcher 2 instead.

New leaked Witcher 2 footage appears

See Geralt fight a Kraken.

CD Projekt has pointed Eurogamer towards another leaked video of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, this time caught off-camera during a presentation.

Witcher 2 is separate from White Wolf

Latter was only "suspended", says dev.

Polish developer CD Projekt has told Eurogamer that The Witcher 2 and The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf were always - and still are - separate projects.

The Witcher 2 is heading to consoles

Don't expect it "too soon", says developer.

CD Projekt has revealed plans for a console version of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, no doubt hoping to realise what canned project The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf could not.

Witcher 2 still needs a publisher

CDProjekt not fussed about leak.

Developer CDProjekt has said The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings still needs a publisher, which suggests that Atari - partner for The Witcher - is now out of the picture, following Rise of the White Wolf disputes.