The Witcher - Recommended by BioWare

Bio aren't releasing any PC RPGs this year, so it makes sense for them to promote The Witcher. It looks to be a 'Bioware Style RPG', and it uses Bio's engine. If TW sells well, it'll help them to promote and sell DA. The two companies seem pretty friendly, and they've worked together in the past. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.

I guess. But, it's one thing to voice support via an interview or a board post or whatever, but the big-wet-sloppy-kiss of a splash screen is taking it to a new level. Plus, what "back scratching" will Bioware get out of this that's anywhere near comparable to the benefits CDProjekt gets? Seems pretty disproportional to me. There's the Aurora engine, but it's not like Bioware's making anymore games with it. So really, it's just the Bioware icon on the box. Maybe that's enough. Maybe they are so confident W's going to do better in the states than any European RPG ever that they want to hitch their wagon to it now.

I dont see why there just has to be some sort of selfish ulterior motive involved. Maybe they like what they see.

You don't have to buy it just because Bioware recommend it.

First I saw of this was in the BioWare private forums, where people were… surprised… at this claim.

There's a difference between "using BioWare's engine" and "recommended by BioWare", and it's possible that that distinction is being missed due to translation issues. I don't specifically know that anyone at BioWare has seen enough inside information to make an intelligent recommendation, and I don't see a quote from any actual BioWare person on that flashy page.

Mind you, it's not like every decision at the company goes through me, so it's entirely possible that BioWare has officially recommended it. Still, for that kinda thing, I'd expect to see a quote. From, you know, Ray or Greg. Or something on BioWare's site.

I got the link from the BioWare site, Patrick.

BioWare Highly Recommends The Witcher
[Sep 14] The folks over at CD Projekt have crafted an epic tale of monster hunter extraordinaire Geralt in a world without mercy using a completely revamped and unrecognizable Neverwinter Nights Aurora engine. Read more.

It's moved off the front page but it's halfway down the "more news" as I type.

Just what is wrong with Bio promoting it? I'm certain they are getting royalties for the engine and helped their NA distribution. They've certainly let it be known in NA and have an opportunity with it to license their engines to other companies.

Its not like this is Communist China. I'd play Seal of Evil if it was.

Hey, Seal of Evil isn't too bad!! I enjoyed much of it.

Just to clarify: I don't think there's anything "wrong" with it. It just seems… unusual. That's all.

Originally Posted by Corwin
Hey, Seal of Evil isn't too bad!! I enjoyed much of it.

The voice acting comes to mind when people complain about Two Worlds …

Originally Posted by Dhruin
I got the link from the BioWare site, Patrick.

Well, then, I'm clearly an idiot.

Apparently we do highly recommend it!

Hehe. Just to be clear, I don't see anything wrong with it. It's unusual - hence I saw it as newsworthy - but not unprecedented. As someone pointed out, they did some sort of promo deal for Freedom Force a few years ago and that was a Gamebryo title.

In Soviet Russia, Video Games play you.

Lead The Witcher Programmer said, that guys from Bioware were playing long in TW Beta and they like it. Then Bioware recommended TW. They must be sure, that quality of product which is recomennded by them is very high.

Concerning what I've read about the concepts behind The Witcher, I regard this game as quite unusual in today's RPG mass market.

Therefore I find it quite good that this game with such a conceptual background gets "recommended". Maybe this is also a signal towards the rest of the industry out there that even a well-known firm supports a small company with one of the least mass-market compatible concepts behind a game.

The only thing that I'm kind of disappoionted is that the look of this game and the emnphasis on combat is rather more mass-market oriented - as fr as I've seen it this far - than I would expect by reading through the interviews explaining the background concepts only.

Really? You're surprised a game about a professional monster hunter has a focus on combat?

Originally Posted by Dhruin
Really? You're surprised a game about a professional monster hunter has a focus on combat?

Since you put it THAT way …

Judging from what I've read in the interviews, a game not about a professional monster hunter would fit - as far as I understood it - with the background concepts much better.

I still don't get it, Alrik. I guess they could have made a game about anyone set in Sapkowski's world but Witcher's are professional monster hunters by definition - that's what they are.

Originally Posted by Dhruin
I still don't get it, Alrik. I guess they could have made a game about anyone set in Sapkowski's world but Witcher's are professional monster hunters by definition - that's what they are.

I share your confusion - the game is called 'The Witcher', ad Witchers are monster hunters, and the game is heavily involved with monster hunting. And so … ?