Rjshae spotted on Blastr that Netflix will produce a Witcher TV series:

Netflix to adapt The Witcher as a TV series

Netflix has announced it is going to develop and produce an English-speaking drama series based on Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher fantasy book series.

[...]

Farflame spotted a trailer for the first fan made Witcher 3 movie on Gamepressure:

Fan-made Witcher movie with professional actors got its first trailer

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There is an interesting fan-made film project in the works set in the Witcher universe. The team managed to hire some professional actors for the roles of Dandelion, Triss Merigold and Lambert.

[...]

Rumors abound this summer.  If this one is correct, a Witcher card game has been trademarked.

Website NerdLeaks has spotted a very interesting trademark and logo registration on the European Union Intellectual Property Office. Gwent: The Witcher Card Game might well be a standalone title based on the card minigame of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which many have clamored for since the game's release. Some more details on the trademark application:

The trademark was filled with class 9 and 41 (videogames, software, etc.) into the European Union Intellectual Property Office two days ago (June 6th), with what seems to be the official logo.

CD Projekt previously hinted to Eurogamer that they might announce something Witcher-related at E3, and this might very well be that announcement:

Under plans for 2016, CDPR mentioned, "A new type of video game format previously unexplored by the studio." That doesn't necessarily mean it's a game and doesn't necessarily mean it's coming out this year. But it could be both. When I asked Iwinski if it will be this thing at E3 he said, "We will see." When I asked if we'll find out what it is at E3 he said, "Well, hopefully." And when I asked if it had anything to do with The Witcher he said, "Time will tell."

I'm usually pretty cautious with trademark applications, but in this case I'd say all signs point to this being real. Still, you should assume this is unconfirmed until the game is announced, as per usual.

First a book, then an RPG and now a movie will be made:

Have you been enjoying The Witcher games and really wishing your non video game friends would get into it with you? That is about to get much easier.

Production on The Witcher movie is now moving forward, with Platige Films gaining an official partner in the Sean Daniel Company. SDC is known best for their work on The Mummy films. Word spread discreetly on a Witcher film last year when Platige’s creative director, Tomasz Baginski, revealed he was working on it in an interview. This seems to be the first time we are getting a formal English press release on the film.

The movie will be based on two short stories from The Last Wish, namely, The Witcher and Lesser Evil, and is intended to be an introduction to the Witcher universe. Of course, the Andrzej Sapkowski novels all this other media come from have become international bestsellers in their own right, often compared to Game of Thrones. [...]

Well this came as surprise to me did you know The Witcher once had two expansions being developed. It's no wonder they were canceled either based on this Eurogamer article.

That's right CD Project was almost bankrupt at one time. Anyway here are the expansion details. Feel free to discuss this in the comment section.

The Witcher: Scars of Betrayal

The Witcher: Scars of Betrayal is a canceled add-on for The Witcher. It was in development by Ossian Studios for some time in 2008 but was canceled due to issues on CD Projekt RED's end.

Very little is known about Scars of Betrayal. It took place in a troubled mountain village, with the kind of problem that only a Witcher can solve. The add-on was to shift the gameplay focus further to choices and outcomes.

The Witcher: Outcast

Outcast was going to be released as DLC in most countries and have a disc release in some countries, like Poland and Russia. It was in development from late 2007 until around mid-2008, when it was canceled by CD Projekt RED.

The story takes place in the early part of Geralt’s life, before he is established as a Witcher, during the reign of King Videmont of Aedirn (around 1190). It takes place in the Skellige Isles off the west coast, on an island ruled by jarl Harald. Many years ago, a monster attacked Harald’s pregnant wife Morganna. In return, Harald went out to slay the monster, with the help of the gnome Shiltzen. As payment, Shiltzen demanded Harald’s firstborn, but when Morganna gave birth, she bore twins. Seeing that the second child was monstrous, Harald gave that child to Shiltzen instead of the firstborn Astrid.

A team of fans have released a short film based on The Witcher called "‘Following The White Wolf’.

"Following The White Wolf" project is a fans' thanks to Andrzej Sapkowski and CD Projekt RED for creating "The Witcher".

All material for "Following The White Wolf" movie was realized in one day of shooting. The realization was possible only thanks to the funds, passion of the authors and the engagement of everyone taking part in the project.

The promo browser game Witcher: Versus is heading to iDevices, according to this PR we received:

The Witcher official website has been updated with this announcement. The Platinum Edition of the original the Witcher game can now be bought in Europe. The difference between this edition and the Enhanced edition? It includes the fan-made adventures and the 1.5 patch as well as all uncensored content. 

Seems CD Projekt and TopWare read the same marketing manual, with a Witcher flavoured Advent Calendar contest also on offer at The Witcher site.  Prizes for this one are Witcher medallions and dice.

Shack News writes that Steam now sells The Witcher at a reduced price. This game is now digitally available in all regions of the world. Note that is the Enhanced Edition: Director's Cut version of the game.

The Witcher site has announced a Halloween pumpkin-carving contest, so if that sounds like your thing, head over for the details.

From The Witcher site comes news an Adventure Card Game - currently available in Polish - will soon be released in English and Spanish:

We are very happy to inform you that “The Witcher” card game – already known to Polish players – will soon be published in English and Spanish. The Spanish version will be available in August, and will be distributed by Gen X Games (http://www.genxgames.es). The English card game will premiere this Fall during Spiel’09 in Essen, Germany. You will be able to buy it through the KuŸnia Gier distribution network, which is the creator of the game. You'll find a list of places that stock their products here: http://kuzniagier.pl/whereToBuy.html and, as KuŸnia Gier promises, that list will soon be expanded with new entries!

It’s worth mentioning that there are intensive talks being held about translating the game into other languages. More information soon.

The headline is all you need to know.  Official PR for TW:EEDC follows:

DIRECTOR’S CUT OF THE WITCHER: ENHANCED EDITION NOW AVAILABLE IN NORTH AMERICA

 

Who:                Atari, Inc., one of the world’s most recognized videogame publishers, announced today that new content will be available for The Witcher: Enhanced Edition for Windows PC.

 

What:               The game as the developers, CD Projekt RED, intended with mature content only released outside of North America – until now! The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director’s Cut is now available for download at www.atari.com and other major digital distribution outlets.  This new Director’s Cut content is available as both a patch for The Witcher: Enhanced Edition as well as a full game download.   

 

                        The Witcher, originally released October 2007, has won more than 100 awards and has sold more than 1.2 million copies worldwide. The Witcher: Enhanced Edition brought the game close to perfection, with more than 5000 lines of re-written and re-recoded dialogue, more than 200 new dialogue animations, a new character differentiation system for NPCs, an enhanced inventory with improved alchemy, reduced loading times, improved combat responsiveness and two new adventures. AND NOW, with the release of The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director’s Cut, the game is available in its entirety to North American audiences.

 

When:              The downloadable content is available starting today JULY 31, 2009

 

Where:             The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director’s Cut game and patch are available at ATARI.com, Steam (steampowered.com), Impulse (impulsedriven.com) and Direct2Drive.  The patch is also available at TheWitcher.com.

 

Why:                Representing the pinnacle of storytelling in role-playing games, The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director’s Cut shatters the line between good and evil in a world where moral ambiguity reigns. In a beautiful, rich game universe, the player takes on the role of renowned monster slayer, Geralt of Rivia, in an epic, action-packed narrative in which his decisions have a major impact on how the story plays out. The Witcher emphasizes story and character development in a vibrant world, while incorporating tactically-deep real-time combat like few games before it

CD Projekt has announced the release date for The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director's Cut:

The Witcher site has a FAQ on The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director's Cut, which should be available shortly.  Turns out the Director's Cut is simply a North American release that combines v1.5 and the original uncensored content.  Here we go:

• What is The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director’s Cut?
  The Director’s Cut is the version of the game our developers originally intended for you to play. It is essentially the same game that gamers around the world have experienced – now available legitimately for the first time in North America. 
• Where will The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director’s Cut be available?
  The Director’s Cut update will be available from TheWitcher.com and all applicable digital distributors in North America, including Steam, Impulse and Direct2Drive. We will announce the release date in the coming days, but as of that date, people who buy The Witcher: Enhanced Edition from digital distributors will be purchasing the Director’s Cut, as it will replace the existing Enhanced Edition on those sites.
• Will The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director’s Cut obtained from digital distribution contain 1.5 patch features (i.e. additional adventures):
  Yes, Director’s Cut version of the game will have all features of patch 1.5.
• Do I need The Witcher: Enhanced Edition to get the Director’s Cut?
  If you want to just install the patch to get the Director’s Cut content, then you do need The Witcher: Enhanced Edition. If you’re just buying The Witcher for the first time (or feel like buying it again!) then you can just purchase the product via Steam, Impulse, Direct2Drive, etc. as they will offer the Director’s Cut as a full product already patched to the latest version. 
• I don’t live in North America or I imported a copy of the game from outside of North America. Should I get the Director’s Cut?You really already have the Director’s Cut if you have the international edition of the game and have installed the 1.5 patch! 
• What is the age rating of The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director’s Cut?
  The Director’s Cut has received an M rating from the ESRB, with Blood and Gore, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content and Violence.

CD Projekt sent out this PR announcing the DRM-free v1.5 Witcher patch for July 8th:

Patch 1.5 coming for download on July 8th!

Starting on the 8th of July, you’ll be able to download the next update for The Witcher, version 1.5.

The patch focuses mainly on removing troublesome DRM, allowing you to play the game without the disc, while providing additional hours of fun thanks to new adventures created by the fan community. Patch 1.5 is the next stage of The Witcher’s life, and is also a means of expressing our thanks to the modding community for their hard work on creating the adventures. The update will also be included in forthcoming The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director’s Cut; more info on that product will be released shortly.

Patch 1.5 features:

Modifications:
- copy securities (DRM) are removed
- playing the game no longer requires the game disc in the drive
- patch solves problems with EAX and blurred graphics

Additionally:
- 5 bonus adventures made by the Witcher community: ‘Deceits’, ‘Blight of the Bogs’, ‘Wraiths of the Quiet Hamlet’, ‘Wedding’, ‘Merry Witchmas’.

In order to install patch 1.5 correctly, original Witcher game upgraded to 1.4 (enhanced edition) will be required.

The Witcher: Enhanced Edition version 1.5 will soon be released by Project Red. The new version will include all bonus content from The Witcher: Enhanced Edition and five additional fan-made adventures. Most importantly, The Witcher: Enhanced Edition 1.5 is completely DRM-free! Moreover, the 1.5 version will remove the disc check, allowing you to play the game without the DVD in the drive.

All available versions of the game will be upgraded to 1.5, including the forthcoming The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director's Cut for North American gamers.

As usual the patch containing the additional content will be available to download for free  for all registered The Witcher and The Witcher: Enhanced Edition owners!

Thanks ton_hur for letting us know.

Head over to The Witcher site for a Christmas Contest that will see you creating dishes for a witchers' feast, such as the provided example of Drowner's Fricasee.

CDProjekt has posted some obscure hints on the official Witcher website inviting everyone to hunt across the internet for some unspecified development news:

Are you eager to learn our deepest, darkest secrets? Would you really like to see what we're working on before anyone else?

Then take part in the Hunt! Be the first to find all the clues and you'll be rewarded with... something.

You'll have to be very smart and perceptive. Keep your eyes wide open as you search for the hidden clues.

So, why are you still here? Go visit http://www.gog.com  to find the first clue!

That's into players hands not shipped to retail. It's the current news of the week on the official site and there is an article up at Gamasutra as well. So congratulations to the team.

All the ghouls, vampires and wenches in the world couldn’t stop the white-haired Geralt from conquering the world! CD Projekt RED is proud to announce that The Witcher, the epic RPG that puts players in the morally lenient boots of the aforementioned anti-hero, has sold more than a million copies to real, live people since its release twelve months ago. Scientific research has proven that those sales numbers are quite good for a debut game based on a relatively unfamiliar IP from an unknown studio on a “dead” platform.

Stage 5 of CD Projekt's D'jinni Adventure Editor Contest is under way:

The official site for The Witcher has a few new items up on their news page today, including the notice that the Enhanced Edition has shipped to North America, with the free downloadable version for those who already own the game available on September 19th.

There are also links to some Witcher ringtones and a video at Gametrailers as well as the usual full description of everything included in the EE and two reviews.

Keen to get our grubby mits on The Witcher: Enhanced Edition, we fired off a missive to ask exactly when the download option will be available from the official site.  CD Projekt told us to keep things simple, the download version will be available to everyone on the 19th.  Time to clear some hard drive space and watch that download limit.

In other Enhanced Edition news, the official site has some mini interviews with three developers:

Which changes in The Witcher: Enhanced Edition will be the most and least visible for players?
It's hard for me to speak for all the players, so I will tell you which changes are most noticeable for me. First of all, the new inventory is far clearer than the original. It's more pleasant to use and it's easier to find items you need, thanks to the sorting buttons and a separate space for alchemy components. Similarly, I like the diversification of monsters and NPCs, which makes the world around Geralt more real and definitely less repetitive. Personally, I like to play in Russian with Polish subtitles, so I enjoyed the mechanism of free choice of text and voice-overs. German and English players will surely notice the difference in the quality of dubbings, as we re-recorded the whole German version and over 5000 English dialogue lines. As for more subtle improvements, I would point to the possibility of switching off the automatic game saving, as well as the more natural dialogues found in the game, as we recorded over 250 new gesture animations. There are loads of improvements, and I believe that every player will have to answer for himself which changes he notices or likes the most. It's impossible to list everything we corrected; I will only add that apart from the completely new mechanisms, we were able to fix over 1000 smaller and bigger problems, the most significant of which were stability and level-load times.

About time, too.  CD Projekt has announced the official dates for The Witcher Enhanced Edition and they're just around the corner:

We know that you‘ve been waiting for this all year… and we are not talking about Christmas or your birthday. The Witcher: Enhanced Edition, the ultimate version of the best RPG in years is done and will soon be in your hands! We’re serious – we actually finished it. The game will ship to stores on September 16 in North America and September 19 elsewhere in the world.

Shortly after the release of The Witcher, some of the greatest minds in the universe (the developers at CD Projekt RED, of course!) got together and collected tons of feedback from fans and media about the game. They used that feedback to craft a huge list of things they felt they could improve to make The Witcher even better. New inventory, voice-overs, models, adventures, gestures, animations, languages, alchemy and sex cards, as well as improved stability, reduced loading times, and many more enhancements have found their way into the game… frankly, we can’t remember all of the changes. Blame it on the Polish vodka, long work hours, or whatever.

What’s more, we’ve prepared what we think is the richest “standard” edition in the history of games! Together with the game, you will get bonus DVDs with re-mastered “Making-Of” videos, the official soundtrack of the game, the “Music Inspired by The Witcher” album, a game guide, manual, map of the Witcher’s world and a short story from Andrzej Sapkowski. Start clearing room on your shelf now… you get all of that stuff for the price of a regular game.

Oh, one more important thing – because we’re – ummm… well… crazy – we’re giving all of this away for free to anyone who already purchased The Witcher! Yeah, that’s right – FOR FREE!!! Just login on our page and download it directly to your hard drive.

If you haven’t played The Witcher yet, though, keep it quiet! There’s nobody less cool than someone who didn’t buy last year’s PC RPG of the Year. Just head over to the closest store and pre-order it if you can. Buy a copy for your mother, brother, grandpa, aunt, lover and even for that old lady that lives next door! They will love you for it.

So mark the date – September 16 in North America and September 19 everywhere else. Rock on.

From The Witcher website:

How far would you go to get something you really want? What would you do to possess something so awesome that others will crumble at your feet and beg for your friendship?

Do you remember how irritating it was when you asked your friend at school to lend you a pen and he’d reply, “What’s in it for me?”!
Let’s go back to that lovely immature time and play the same game:

Head over to the forum and tell us what you’re going to give us in return for The Witcher Ultimate Swag Pack!

• The Witcher Figurine
• The Witcher Medallion
• Book – “The Last Wish” by Andrzej Sapkowski
• The Witcher Dice Game

We'll choose the most creative one to win!

Hit the link and post a comment to participate.

News from The Witcher site that an event called The Outbreak has kicked off for their Versus multiplayer minigame.

CD Projekt sent out this PR on the packaging for The Witcher Enhanced Edition:

THE BEST REACHES PERFECTION WITH 'THE WITCHER: ENHANCED EDITION'

Improved, Enhanced and Expanded Edition of CD Projekt RED's Acclaimed PC Role-Playing Title Coming September 2008

LYON, FRANCE – 19 August 2008 – Atari today announced the forthcoming launch of The Witcher: Enhanced Edition, the PC role-playing opus from Polish development studio CD Projekt RED, which continues to garner high praise and new fans the world over thanks to its unique blend of mature fantasy universe, tough decision making and intense tactical combat. The Witcher: Enhanced Edition is an improved, enhanced and expanded version of the game considered by many players and media as the best PC RPG of 2007, and is scheduled for release across Europe in September 2008.

The Witcher: Enhanced Edition will be presented in a high-quality package, bound in a luxury embossed box set featuring a wealth of high-value extra content including additional adventures, music from and inspired by the game, re-mastered making of feature, a short story by the creator of The Witcher Andrej Sapkowski and much more. Numerous enhancements have been made to the widely acclaimed original game to deliver an experience second to none in the PC RPG genre.

“We always have the fans’ best interests at heart so we have listened closely to their comments. The Witcher: Enhanced Edition has given us the opportunity to put their feedback into action as well as offering something totally new with exclusive content,” said Adam Kicinski, CEO of CD Projekt RED. “We believe that The Witcher: Enhanced Edition is a product of exceptional quality – packed with gameplay improvements and additional physical value – that should come close to being the ideal game for fans of PC role-playing.“

Technical enhancements include faster loading times alongside improved combat responsiveness and precision. Following feedback from fans, the English script has been re-worked, while extensive amounts of the voice-over has been re-recorded for the English and German versions, all to deliver an even more immersive and involving story experience. All of the enhancements will be available as a free download to existing game owners via the game’s official website, www.thewitcher.com.

The Witcher: Enhanced Edition will be available in a highly desirable, content-packed box set, the full contents of which include:
• Multilanguage The Witcher: Enhanced Edition, a reworking of the best PC RPG game of 2007;
• DVD bonus disc including the D’jinni Adventure Editor and two brand new adventures created by CD Projekt Red:
- the D’jinni Adventure Editor: allows players to create or modify their own adventures in the world of The Witcher;
- "The Price of Neutrality": the adventure tells the story of Geralt coming back to Kaer Morhen and finding a mysterious camp near the stronghold (featuring 3 new quests);
- “Side Effects”: the first ever release of this new adventure which focuses on Geralt's close friend, Dandelion, and his troubles in Vizima City (featuring 5 new quests);
• Remastered “Making Of” documentary with never-before-seen bonus material;
• Soundtrack CD of original music written specifically for The Witcher;
• CD of original music inspired by The Witcher;
• Instruction manual and game guide;
• Short story by Andrej Sapkowski featuring new art from the Monsterbook;
• A map for exploration throughout The Witcher ’s world.

CD Projekt's Tom Ohle has sent out a Product Fact Sheet PR for The Witcher Enhanced Edition.  I can't see anything new but just in case, here we go:

PRODUCT FACT SHEET

PLATFORM: Games for Windows
RELEASE DATE: September 2008
DEVELOPER: CD Projekt RED
PUBLISHER: Atari, Inc.
GENRE: Role-Playing Game
ESRB RATING: RP (Rating Pending)

Game Description:
The Witcher: Enhanced Edition is the ultimate version of the ultimate role-playing game. The Witcher, which was released in October 2007, has won more than 90 awards and has sold more than 800,000 copies worldwide, and The Witcher: Enhanced Edition brings the game even closer to perfection with a number of technical and visual improvements jammed into the value-packed retail box. The enhancements introduced in this version include more than 5000 lines of re-written and re-recorded dialogue, more than 200 new dialogue animations, a new character differentiation system for NPCs, an enhanced inventory with improved alchemy, reduced loading times, improved combat responsiveness and much more.

In addition to the in-game updates, The Witcher: Enhanced Edition will feature premium packaging loaded with value, including the multilingual game disc allowing you to play with any combination of voice-over and subtitles, two new adventures with full voice-over, the D’jinni Adventure Editor, the Official Soundtrack CD, a Music Inspired by The Witcher CD, an official game guide, The Witcher short story by Andrzej Sapkowski, a Making-of DVD with behind-the-scenes video footage, and a map of The Witcher’s world.

The Witcher represents the pinnacle of storytelling in role-playing games, shattering the line between good and evil with a world where moral ambiguity reigns. In a beautiful, rich game universe, the player takes on the role of renowned monster slayer, Geralt of Rivia, in an epic, action-packed narrative in which his decisions have a major impact on how the story plays out. The Witcher emphasizes story and character development in a vibrant world, while incorporating tactically-deep real-time combat like no game before it.

CD Projekt has spruced up The Witcher site as we get near(ish) the Enhanced Edition.  Can't say I noticed it much but here's the blurb:

If you came here today and thought, “hmmm… am I going totally insane or does something like different?” you can probably relax… you may very well be crazy, but things actually have changed here at thewitcher.com! We’ve given the community site a bit of an overhaul to prepare for the launch of The Witcher Enhanced Edition, allowing you to find a bit more info about the upcoming version; it’s just a little over a month away, so we thought you might want to actually know about it!

With the launch of The Witcher Enhanced Edition coming up in a few months, CDProjeckt is asking for input from game owners on how they'd like their upgrade. They've already made it know that the new features will be available as a free download, but due to the size of the package and number of improvements, they are checking to see if fans would be willing to pay for a physical copy:

We remember the promise we made, so of course, anyone who has registered a copy of the game will be able to download a free update to turn the standard version of The Witcher into the Enhanced Edition. Because of the many technical improvements and additional content (audio files of all language versions, new adventures, D’jinni editor, etc.), we realize that this will likely be a rather large file to download. That’s why we’ve come up with the idea to meet our players’ needs halfway and preparee something special for people who don’t want to download it from the internet.

The idea is a sort of “Upgrade Version” that would allow them to enjoy all the wonders of the Enhanced Edition without buying another copy of the game.

When we make decisions, we always take into consideration the opinions of our fans, and that’s why we would like to ask you about one thing. Would you be interested in buying this set, if it were available in shops?

Content of the set :

- New game box
- Patch that turns standard ‘The Witcher’ into the Enhanced Edition
- Bonus DVD with new adventures and D’jinni e editor
- Game manual
- Game guide
- Remastered ‘Making of The Witcher’ DVD with additional content
- ‘Inspired by The Witcher’ Music CD
- Soundtrack CD
- Map of the world
- Andrzej Sapkowski’s short story

You can vote here after you log in. The estimated price would be about 14.99 euros. 

The official site for CDprojekt's crRPG, The Witcher, announced that the contest to create an adventure with the D'jinni Editor has reached the quest and dialogue stage:

Our contest has reached the crucial stage of creating an adventure, i.e. making a quest and dialogues. You face a difficult task, just as your mod is starting to gel! With this stage completed, the adventure actually should be finished, there will only be one more stage for tests and final cuts.  

CD Projekt Red has a sample solution for Stage 2 of their D'jinni Adventure Contest if you'd like to use that in preparation for Stage 3.

The official website for The Witcher posts this announcement today: 

Pick up your sword and slash your so-called friends into submission in The Witcher: Versus, the web-based dueling game formerly known as The Witcher: DuelMail. In The Witcher: Versus, players can finally fulfill their dreams of challenging a friend or complete stranger to a duel without having to put their real-world lives on the line. The game is free to play at http://versus.thewitcher.com.

The Witcher: Versus should be considered a serious hazard to productivity for anyone with computer access at work, due to its “just one more fight and then I’ll quit for today” nature. As a sorcerer, witcher or frightener, players challenge others to head-to-head battles with magic, swords, claws and more at their disposal. Winning a duel earns the player experience and money, which they can then use to upgrade their character’s attributes, learn new skills and buy new weapons in hopes of reaching the upper echelon of the game’s online leader board. The Witcher: Versus will be continually supported in the coming months with special events, competitions and more.

...and you can check out a preview on combat at IGN that presents the different classes and abilities.

The Witcher site advises their DuelMail web game has been renamed Versus:

With an upcoming release of a free-of-charge web-browser game produced by creators of The Witcher in cooperation with one2tribe company, we have decided to launch a special edition of newsletter addressing only The Witcher: Duelmail. It is also the right moment to introduce changes that are coming along with the game release, the most important of which is a new game title! From now on, "The Witcher: Duelmail" will be replaced by "The Witcher: Versus"! For more information concerning the game release, title change as well as newly introduced features please visit the newsletter site. The Witcher Versus newsletter should have been received by everyone, who have registered account at our forum.

The official website for CDProjekt's The Witcher  announces that stage 3 of the D'jinni adventure editor contest has begun:

We officialy start the third stage of The Witcher Adventure Editor contest!
 
Deadline for this stage is 18 July...

The winner of stage 3 will collect:
 Logitech G15 keyboard

STAGE 2 RESULTS WILL BE PUBLISHED AFTER 4th OF JULY

Please notice, deadline for sending stage 2 projects is friday, 27th of June!

The official website for The Witcher has some information available for those who may be interested in testing REDflame's  new adventure, Deception:

REDFlame Interactive, The Witcher modding group, announces community closed beta test of their new adventure "Deception".

"Deception is the showcase module by REDFlame Interactive: a demonstration of ability and desire to create custom content of The Witcher computer role-playing game for the fans and community of Andrzej Sapkowski's world and stories. Deception contains custom abilities (throwing daggers), models (houses and terrain), textures, and a plot which challenges a puzzle-solving, exploratory mindset. With this custom town and its quest, Deception is given to the community to both enjoy and learn from to promote and enhance the custom content of the Witcher CRPG. With regards and pride, REDFlame Interactive presents Deception to you the fans and critics."

The full details for signing up are available here. 

From The Witcher site on the Adventure Editor Contest:

Due to big amount of requests we decided to give you additional week to submit stage 2 projects.
Another good news is that we decided to give award to stage 2 runner-up!

The final date to submit your projects is now 27th of June.

GOOD LUCK!

Stage 1 results are up for CD Projekt's D'jinni adventure editor contest - head over for the winners and links to their project outlines.

The official site for CDProjekt's cRPG The Witcher, announces that a release date for all language versions of the Enhanced Edition is set for the second half of September, 2008: 

CD Projekt RED would like to announce that the release date of The Witcher Enhanced Edition has been finally set.  Consequently, the vastly improved edition of the acclaimed CD Projekt RED’s magnum opus has been set for the first half of September 2008. Setting the release date for September results from  the requirement of polishing all ten language versions and releasing The Witcher Enhanced Edition in all languages at the same time. The Enhanced Edition by itself will be a deluxe one, containing a lot of additional content not available in the basic version of the game.

The exclusive edition of The Witcher apart from the game dvd will also consist of a video dvd, a bonus materials dvd (among all D’jinni the adventure editor and 2 official adventures “The price of neutrality” and “Side effects”), the game soundtrack as well as a music cd with music inspired by the game. The new content and improvements will be available to registered users of the game free-of-charge.

I don't think we have too many Japanese readers but just in case, CD Projekt has news of a Witcher version for you:

We would like to inform proudly that "The Witcher" is reaching the most distant corners of the globe. After a Chinese version, a Japanese one has been shipped to shops in Asia, due to which now also inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun can enjoy the adventures of Geralt. Photo of the Japanese edition of "The Witcher" can be found below.

Stage 2 of CD Projekt's mod-making contest for The Witcher is now up:

The Witcher Adventure Editor Contest Stage 2

So, we begin the second stage of the Witcher Adventure Editor contest!
Quick reminder of the main aims:
Your task is to create a new Witcher adventure, named as you choose, with the plotline invented solely by you, keeping to the established rules and realities.
Each stage of the contest will be completed by picking the best project and at the end we will select 3 most interesting adventures which shall be awarded with unique prizes. Best works of each stage shall be rewarded with gadget sets.
As it is stated in this document, describing whole contest, today we begin working on preparing all elements necessary to implement the location in the right way.

Remember that you can join the contest at every stage, providing you complete the tasks from previous stage(s).
The moment a stage is completed, we present exemplary solutions.
We await the applications at adventures@thewitcher.com. Each application shall be confirmed with return e-mail.
 
The results of stage 2 shall be presented after 23.06

Head over for more, including links to tutorials and the like to help.  Stage 1 winners are due to be announced tomorrow.

CD Projekt Red has released their May newsletter for The Witcher, with details of the v1.3 update, D'jinni editor and contest, Enhanced Edition delay and so on.  Nothing new I can see but check it out if you haven't been watching our news.

From The Witcher website:

A special virtual tavern was created on our forums for everyone who would like to discuss about creating new adventures for The Witcher game. We give opportunity for every modding group to have it's own hall (tavern subforum) where they can discuss everything about D'jinni and adding modifications to The Witcher. We encourage everyone to ask questions to modding teams. For people interested in creating or joining a modding group we created a special announcement thread called “recruitment hall”.

You can find the Modding Tavern forum here.

CD Projekt has kicked off a D'Jinni adventure contest for those itching to flex their creativity with the editor:

Today, we begin the first stage of The Witcher Adventure Editor contest for everyone interested in making new adventures for The Witcher game. The contest will have 5 separate stages (each stage will last 2 weeks) which will form the integral whole. 

 

The aim of the contest will be to solve 5 tasks which will be released for you in stages every 2 weeks. You will be obligated to obey basic rules and guidelines. In stage one we will focus on creating the main plot.

 

The best project chosen in every stage of the contest will be rewarded. At the end (after stage 5) we will also reward the best 3 overall projects (some super unique stuff is waiting!!! – further details soon).

After 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th stage we will publish official solution templates made by designer from CD Projekt RED.

 

We wait for your ideas at community@thewitcher.com

 

Here you have some useful links:

Document describing the contest

Document describing first stage task

D'jinni Wiki

D'jinni Forum

Contest Rules

 

Stay tuned, stage 2 will begin in exactly 2 weeks!

They're sounding very busy over at CD Projekt Red and projects are getting pushed back...the official Witcher site notes their web-based online thingy DuelMail has been pushed back:

Duelmail’s premiere planned for this Friday had to be slightly rescheduled. The team responsible for the final version of the game (one2tribe and CD Projekt RED), guided by the remarks given by the players, decided to dedicate some more time to polish elements connected with balance, items and animation.

We reassure you that the delay in Duelmail’s premiere will not be long. This time it’s the case of a few days of adding some finishing touches and perfecting elements, which were asked for by the players.

At the same time, we do not give up the beta tests, so all the players are more than welcome to continue their duels! Precise information about the final date of the premiere will be given next week. Tomorrow, we will give you details concerning Thursday’s chat with the creators of the Duelmail!

On a related note, we fired off a missive to enquire about the official status of The Witcher's Enhanced Edition following yesterday's news via a Polish site of an August-September release.  We're told there's nothing firm to say yet but details should come soon.

Not strictly about The Witcher but Tom Ohle dropped us a line with this press release, announcing the release of Sapkowski's The Last Wish fantasy novel in NA:

"People like to invent monsters and monstrosities. Then they seem less monstrous themselves.” – From The LAST WISH

Orbit is thrilled to announce the first U.S. publication of THE LAST WISH, the fantasy novel from internationally acclaimed Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski

Geralt de Riv is a Witcher – a killer-for-hire. Geralt possesses magical and alchemical powers, a deadly blade, and a mordant wit. He is a hitman sent after the creatures of myth and fairytale.

But the lines between good and evil are never straightforward. In a world rife with racism, terrorism, and corruption, every motive is suspect. Hired to rid the world of its demons, Geralt often find that the demons are less guilty then their prey.

THE LAST WISH is available in bookstores nation-wide on May 1st.

It doesn't come as a huge surprise but CD Projekt Red has pushed back the release of The Witcher's Enhanced Edition, saying the exact date will be "announced in the upcoming days":

CD Projekt RED announces that the release of The Witcher: Enhanced Edition has been delayed. The delay can be attributed to the company’s goal of making The Witcher: Enhanced Edition as close to a flawless product as possible. CD Projekt RED is dedicated to a simultaneous worldwide launch, and is taking the extra time to polish each language version to meet the high standards of the global games market. The exact date of the premiere of the Enhanced Edition will be announced in the upcoming days.

CD Projekt RED decided to edit some language versions to meet the highest standards. Work continues on the English version, in which a significant amount of dialogue is being re-recorded and over 5000 lines of the script were rewritten, as well as the German version, in which the translation is being improved and many characters are receiving new voice-overs.

The Witcher: Enhanced Edition will be free of the majority of criticisms noted by fans and media in the original version of the game. The enhancements cover two major areas: removing technical issues (loading times will be reduced by 80%, stability of the game on various operating systems will be improved, and numerous improvements will be made to enhance fighting precision) and the aforementioned changes in language versions. Additionally, the product will ship to retail in a value-packed bundle that includes all language versions on a single master disc, the D’jinni Adventure Editor and two official adventures, the official soundtrack, an album of music inspired by The Witcher, a game guide, a map of The Witcher’s world and more. All of the enhancements will be available as a free download to existing game owners.

The exact date of the premiere of the Enhanced Edition will be announced in the upcoming days.

This is a long one, so just head to the bottom for the links if you just want to get under way.  CD Projekt Red and Atari have released The Witcher's latest v1.3 update, the D'Jinni editor and a free module titled The Price of Neutrality.  Here's the PR and links:

Atari today announced the release of the D’jinni beta adventure editor and Price of Neutrality adventure together with patch 1.3 for The Witcher. The first official adventure and patch 1.3 are available for free download via www.thewitcher.com, with a separate free download available containing the D’jinni beta adventure editor. The adventure editor requires the latest game patch installed. We have also launched the site, where gamers may add or download their adventures.

“CD Projekt has always been oriented to gamers’ needs, so releasing an adventure editor for the modding community is an obvious move. It’s quite a demanding tool, however, and it will bring loads of satisfaction to many of the fans. After all, we made The Witcher with this tool,” said Adam Kiciñski, CEO, CD Projekt RED.  “We’ve also prepared the first official mod with a completely new adventure which will be available to download for free.”

The Price of Neutrality is the first official adventure from the team at CD Projekt and features around two hours of gameplay during which the player is introduced to the other witchers in more detail following their brief appearance in the original game.  Populated with new NPC’s and other new graphical assets, the adventure takes the player into the little explored outskirts of Kaer Morhen in a compelling story with tough decisions and more than one possible ending.  The adventure text is localised among all in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish and Polish.  In the same download, patch 1.3 readies the game for playing the new adventure.

The English language D’jinni beta adventure editor will let fans craft complete new adventures for Geralt using the existing graphical assets, maps and environments in the game.  By creating new stories, cut-scenes, graphical effects, dialogue and gameplay actions, users of the adventure editor can let their imaginations run wild predicting the turmoil and tests waiting in Geralt’s future, or even filling in the missing years between the close of Andrzej Sapkowski’s last Witcher novel and the start of the game.

Links to respective sites:
Download patch 1.3  or Click here
Download D'jinni  or Click here
Site with Adventures

You can grab the patch notes on this page.

Thanks, Nevarion!

CD Projekt Red is spruiking the early success of the DuelMail open beta:

During the first 24 hours of the open beta, the record of active online users of The Witcher board (898) had been broken. In case of the community site, the attendance has reached more than 4 million views with less than 3 millions the day before! Today, only 2 days after the launch of the open beta, statistics are even more impressive, especially when taken into account the broken record of active online users (1054 guests and users of The Witcher board). The Witcher: DuelMail success can be summed up with statistical facts from the game itself - by today, which means 2 days after the launch of the open beta, the number of duels fought in the game has exceeded 50,000 and the number of active accounts 10,000!

Anyone playing this?

From The Witcher site:

We are pleased to inform, that open beta tests of The Witcher: DuelMail, the game created by CD Projekt RED and one2tribe, have been started today. The presented game version does not represent the quality of the final product, which is scheduled to be released for 9th of May. Upcoming changes should regard the final version of the help document, full support for non-standard fonts (such as Cyrillic) as well as minor graphical fixes. In open beta may participate everyone, who has a registered account at www.thewitcher.com boards. Please also visit newly opened threads at The Witcher boards. Join in the ultimate dueling experience, visit http://duelmail.thewitcher.com!

The official site for the Witcher has posted the news that they are in closed beta production of a free web-browser  game called The Witcher:DuelMail. Here's the full description:

CD Projekt RED is very pleased to announce the launch of The Witcher: DuelMail closed beta, based on the company’s best-selling PC role-playing game, The Witcher. The Witcher: DuelMail is a completely free-of-charge next-gen web-browser game that offers depth seldom found in similar products.  The start of open beta is planned for April 7th, with the final version scheduled for release on May 9th.

The Witcher: DuelMail is centered around battles between two players digitally incarnated as one of three completely different character classes. Winning consecutive fights against other real-world people gains the player experience which allows them to advance to higher levels of character development, along with gaining new skills and items to use in combat. Players queue up attacks, magical spells and defensive maneuvers, then send their challenges to other players, who must create their own counter sequence in hopes of being the last one standing. In order to join, the game requires only a PC with an internet connection and a web browser with Flash installed.

What distinguishes The Witcher: DuelMail from a large number of similar Flash games is the high level quality throughout, which would usually be found in higher-budget products. The company responsible for The Witcher: DuelMail’s development, one2tribe Company, has been able to include spectacular battle visuals with high-quality animations created using motion-capture technology, as well as extraordinary special effects along with full sound implementation.

The Witcher: DuelMail is further distinguished by special events and regular updates that will keep the game alive and constantly expanding. Besides fighting for the top spot on the game’s ladders, top players can also expect to collect precious rewards in battle. To avoid feeling rampant loneliness, players can invite friends via e-mail in order to play together.

The official site for The Witcher has posted an announcement stating that the D'jinni editor and the first adventure module "The Price of Neutrality" have been delayed to the last week in March:

We would like to apologize everyone, who impatiently awaited today's release of the D'jinni adventure editor and the first official adventure "The Price of Neutrality". Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances (legal issues concerning making and publishing of mods), the release of the adventure editor has to be delayed until the last week of March. We are sorry again and we thank [you] for understanding. We will also make all possible efforts in order to avoid any other delays and to provide new additions, that will meet your expectations.

Both the adventure editor and "The Price of Neutrality" mod will be free downloads for registered owners of The Witcher, and also part of the Enhanced Edition planned for May release.

Not directly game related but the official Witcher site has news that Gollancz will be publishing Sapkowski's Blood of the Elves in English this September:

After a very positive reception of the first collection of short stories created by Andrzej Sapkowski "The Last Wish", we are very happy to inform, that another part of A. Sapkowski's prose is announced to be released in September. The first part of The Witcher Saga - "Blood of the Elves" translated by Danuta Stok - will be published, the same as with "The Last Wish", by Gollancz publishing house.

True to their word, the official Witcher site has posted the following news about new content this spring. It will be in the form of an 'Enhanced Edition,' and will include improvements to the load times and other technical polishing, the D'jinni toolkit, two new mods with 5 additonal hours of play, and significant improvements in translation for all language versions, especially the English and German. It's a very long document, and there is also an associated pdf file, so I will only be quoting a few snips:

...aside from the game DVD, we are planning to include a DVD with a Mod Editor D'jinii, as well as two additional adventures, a video DVD with extended material concerning 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 authors of the game, 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!

For those who already own The Witcher, the new content will be available as a download:

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 "

And a short description of the mod content:

The Witcher: Enhanced Edition does not only mean 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. First adventure “The price of neutrality” tells the story of Geralt coming back to Kaer Morhen and finding mysterious camp near stronghold (3 new quests) while second one focus on Dandelion and his troubles in Vyzim City (5 quests)

Head over to the links above for more details. (You can also read the same text, but with bigger screenshots, in the forum announcement.)

Although we already have a newsbit covering this it's worth printing the full release CD Projekt sent over to highlight the "surprise" to be revealed on February 18th (last paragraph):

CD Projekt RED is proud to announce that the company's debut video game production, The Witcher, has sold more than 600,000 copies worldwide in just three months.

Adam Kicinski, CD Projekt RED Joint CEO, commented on the sales results: "We are very happy with The Witcher's performance to date. Our goal was - and still is - to reach one million copies sold during the first year. 600,000 games sold in just three months brings us much closer to this ambitious goal. It's a great success for us, made all the more impressive by the fact that The Witcher was created by a completely new team and it is our debut both as a game developer and in bringing our products to a global audience. The task was not easy, as The Witcher brand was completely unknown in many markets, and it was released in a busy season alongside franchises that have been on the market for many years. Yet, I can confidently say that we've passed this trial victoriously. Actually, only now - as we've conquered many of the initial barriers - can we spread our wings, which, of course, we intend to do. Such success wouldn't be possible without our publishers' support - Atari, Noviy Disk and the publishing branch of CD Projekt. They all put a lot of work into the game's promotion in individual markets."

The exceptionally warm welcome given to The Witcher by media and gamers around the world facilitated the commercial success of our game. This grand welcome is illustrated by 48 awards and distinctions - a number which is constantly rising - including the prestigious "PC RPG of the Year" from popular outlets like IGN.com, GameSpy, Play Magazine and the US edition of PC Gamer, as well as the award for "Readers' Choice Winner - Best RPG" at GameSpot (see the full list of awards: http://www.thewitcher.com/community/en/awards/). The game has received exceptionally high ratings from players all over the world, which is manifested in high average scores in players' reviews at sites like Metacritic (9.4/10), GameTrailers (9.1/10) and GameSpot (8.8/10).

Adam Kiciñski also hints at the developer's plans for the near future: "Our plans include continuous game support, the release of the powerful D'jinni module editor, the continued release of game updates and patches, and in late spring gamers can expect a pretty big surprise, which will be revealed at a press conference really soon - February 18th! We are still working on making the game better and we will actively support our fan community, which is getting bigger and bigger. Unfortunately I can't reveal anything further at this time, but I assure you that we won't rest on our laurels and we have very promising plans for the future. We set our standards very high with The Witcher and we surely don't want to lower them in the future."

The official site for CDProjekt's cRPG, The Witcher, has posted the results of their fan fiction contest held a while back. The winners, who will recieve a translated copy of Sapkowski's Last Wish  as prize, are listed along with links to their English language stories.

The site also notes that several earlier reviews of the game, including those at PC Games and Gamestar, have been revised upward in light of the recent patch.

GameBanshee has a press release from the Writers Guild of America nominating The Witcher for a games writing award:

WGA Announces First-Ever Videogame Writing Award Nominees

2008 Writers Guild Awards Winners to be Announced Feb. 9

LOS ANGELES, NEW YORK -- The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) have announced nominations for the Guilds' inaugural Videogame Writing Award, honoring outstanding achievement in videogame writing during 2007.

VIDEOGAME WRITING

CRASH OF THE TITANS, Written by Christopher Mitchell, Sierra Entertainment

DEAD HEAD FRED, Written by Dave Ellis and Adam Cogan, D3 Publisher

THE SIMPSONS GAME, Lead Writer Matt Selman, Written by Tim Long and Matt Warburton, Dialogue by Jeff Poliquin, Electronic Arts

THE WITCHER, Lead Story Designer Artur Ganszyniec, Dialogue Sebastian Stepien, Additional Dialogue Marcin Blacha, Writers Sande Chen and Anne Toole, Atari

CD Projekt has opened an official board to discuss the Djinni toolset and Witcher mods:

Because the release of out toolset Djinni is coming very soon, I'd like to introduce to you our new forum for modders. We'll try to answer all your questions about Djinni and other technical or meritorical matters. I hope that as soon as the toolset is released, all of you will get to work and create many unique adventures in The Witcher's world.

GameBanshee writes they have a contest to win one of five copies of The Witcher signed by no less than 30 developers from CD Projekt:

We've teamed up with CD Projekt and Atari to give away five copies of The Witcher signed by no less than thirty members of the development team! In the event that you didn't get the holiday gift you were hoping for (or even if you did), snagging one of these should brighten up the holidays quite a bit.

For a chance to win one of the signed copies, simply send us an email with a paragraph or two describing why you feel The Witcher stands out during such a strong year of video game releases. The winners will be chosen randomly on January 8, 2008, so you have two weeks to get your entry in.

US residents only, unfortunately. 

The official site for CDProjekt's cRPG The Witcher has announced the release of patch 1.2, before Christmas as promised. The patch is designed primarily to decrease save/load times and tweak in-game bugs:

After long and impatient awaiting, the time has come - we encourage you to download the latest version of patch (1.2) for The Witcher. We have made a lot of effort to ensure that patch 1.2 has been tested in the best possible way, and at the same time to present it to you before Christmas, as we have promised. Patch 1.2 fixes, among all, the issues of older versions that were most commented on, such as long loading and saving times, loading/saving mechanism, removes many possible random crashes, as well as several minor bugs. Patch 1.2 works with older versions of the game, starting from 1.0.

You can download the patch from the official webpage, and it's also available at the following mirrors: FileShack, Gamer'sHell, and The Patches Scrolls.

Thanks to kalniel, for posting the news on the Witcher subforum.

Thanks also to Magnus, theexar, Sythlia and Licaon for writing in.

Edit: Here are the relevant patch notes (mild spoilers could apply)-

Gameplay and text bugs fixed:
- Fixes for Alina not being at her home when she should (Act 4).
- Wife's Tears Potion fixes.
- Fixes for usable doors on the swamps (Act 5).
- Fixes for Alchemist in manufacture giving quest items to Geralt (Act 3).
- Fixes for some items to be found in Fields (Act 4).
- Fixes for a disappearing enemy in quest Haunted House (Act2).
- Fixed problems with Alvin's spawn (Act 1).
- Few minor text fixes for all languages.

Code bugs fixed:
- Loading times are much faster!
- Saving is much faster!
- Another portion of stability improvements.
- Fix for rare "red rectangle" effect on loading bar.
- Quest tracking fixes.
- Some cursor fixes connected with finishers in tight places.
- Quest now won't update when Geralt is dead causing multiple problems.
- Autosave mechanism fixes (numeration).
- Savegame files fixes – some irrelevant information was sometimes generated inside.
- The game won't make an autosave if Geralt has an effect preventing him from talking (like knockdown, stun, push) - the result would be no talking at all for the rest of the game.
- Now you can't attack neutral NPCs if you input the second (etc.) sword sequence in them, while first attacking a hostile.
- Dandelion's music won't be 'echoed' while changing location twice.
- The game can handle broken savegames now – it returns to main menu.
- Motion blur effect won't stay active despite Blizzard potion wearing off – drinking, then changing location, then cutscene.
- Final fixes for weapons disappearing from enemies’ hands.
- Grass and small stones being multiplied – fixed.
- Fixes for receiving damage from Striga while being far away.

Art bugs fixed:
- Few level decoration fixes.
- Fixes for barghest attack animation. 

The official site for CDProjekt's The Witcher has posted the news that a playable demo of the game is now available.: 

Atari today announced the launch of the playable demo for The Witcher, the acclaimed first game from Polish development studio CD Projekt RED and a PC role-playing masterwork which delivers an engrossing story and thrilling tactical combat, all set in a mature and compelling original fantasy universe....

Giving players a tantalizing taste of the world of The Witcher, the demo begins with the first part of the prologue in which the seeds of the story are sown and the white haired witcher Geralt learns the rudiments of combat. The prologue is followed by the entirety of Act 1, during which Geralt of Rivia will see the first threads of the story weave their web around him and be called upon to slay man and beast to stay alive and earn his keep. 

A page with links to available download mirrors can be found here.

If the demo is out, hopefully the patch and toolkit aren't far behind.

Thanks to Dark Savant for his heads up in the forums!

The official site for CDProjekt's cRPG, The Witcher, has posted news of a fan fiction contest, prizes being a copy of Andrej Sapkowski's The Last Wish, and publication of the winning stories on the website:

Prepare your pens and keyboards! The Witcher Fan fiction contest has just been launched! We wait for your stories based on the game world. Write down your story and send it to us!. There are 3 books "Last Wish" by Andrzej Sapkowski waiting for you. The contest ends by 5th January 2008....

Best stories will be published on our website.

The Witcher official site is pointing out a wiki on the game and Andrzej Sapkowski, which may be of interest the players. The wiki is maintained by Ausir, who many may remember from his previous RPG community involvement.

CD Projekt has whacked up a Witcher screenshot contest with goodies on offer to winners:

We are pleased to announce our special screenshot contest. All you have to do, to take part in the competition, is to run the game and express  your imagination and creativity!  Make some screenshots  while playing and freely transform and edit them to fit your vision of “the day in the life of the witcher”. You can add comments, titles or even add text bubbles to make own custom dialogues.

The best stories will be awarded with ultimate gadget sets. The set includes: high quality t-shirt, poster, mousepad with the game logo, dice game and original witcher medallion!

Your story should consist of  from 1 to 5 separate screenshots, or may be composed into a comic strip. Here you can upload your files.

The deadline date to send your story is 30th November.

...and 1Up also has a Witcher contest, offering a Sweepstakes to win a spanky Dell system.

Amfamaster writes that a second Witcher project is already underway and will hopefully be released in 18 months:

Tomasz Baginski, the guy behind 'The Witcher's' cutscenes was recently interviewed on Polish news channel (TVN). He stated that CDProjekt RED is already working on a second part of The Witcher and they are planning to release it in about 18 months. He also said that he will most probably work on cutscenes for the second part as well. CD Projekt did not comment on this news.

Based on reports from Polish sites gry-online.pl and gry.wp.pl .  Thanks, Amfamaster!

Update: Lukasz from CD Projekt dropped by our forums to say The Witcher 2 is not internally confirmed at this point.  In addition, Brother None points out that Yarpen from CD Projekt told the Codex forums "do not believe everything you read".

I think we all know this but just in case...

- Atari Announces the Launch of CD Projekt's Role-Playing Masterpiece, Available Now at North American Retailers -

NEW YORK, Oct. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR - News), one of the world's most recognized brands and a third-party video game publisher announced today the North American launch of The Witcher®, the first game from Polish development studio CD Projekt RED and a distinctive PC role-playing game which delivers a thrilling story in a unique fantasy universe alongside stunning tactical combat. The Witcher is a Games for Windows title, rated M for Mature and available at the suggested retail price of $49.95.

In The Witcher players take the role of Geralt of Rivia, a professional monster slayer, who exists on the fringes of a complex society troubled by the kind of problems more commonly found on the front pages of newspapers than in a fantasy universe. Taken as a child, mutated, and trained in the arcane ways of the witchers, Geralt is a reluctant hero, who nonetheless finds himself all too frequently in the heat of battles that are not his own. His is a path he might not choose to walk, but walk it he must, guided by his head, heart, and only faithful companion - his sword.

"The Witcher is an unbelievably robust and exciting role-playing game that offers an intense world, unbelievable graphics, and an incredible story-line," said Lawrence Liberty, Producer, Atari, Inc. "Atari is eager to deliver with CD Projekt RED this outstanding game that strives to set new standards within the genre."

Based on the fictional world created by best-selling Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher is set in a unique fantasy universe where real-life issues dominate a troubled society. In this world there is no right or wrong, only decisions and consequences - consequences with which the protagonist Geralt must live.

For more information about The Witcher visit www.thewitcher.com and for more details about Atari's entire product line up visit www.atari.com.

Justin writes that The Witcher is now available at GamersGate for those in the US (and with 3.7Gb of bandwidth to burn).  For those on the other side of the Atlantic, Metaboli also offers the game.

In another nugget of pre-release info on CDProjekt's The Witcher, Voodoo Extreme has posted a link to the registration page, which details the benefits to registered users, including downloadable content. A patch is also planned for October 26, to coincide with the European release.

You can read their summary here.

No, really - this time it actually has:

NEW YORK, Oct. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Atari, Inc. , one of the world's most recognized brands and a third-party video game publisher, announced today that The Witcher has gone gold and is scheduled to ship to retailers in North America on October 30. Developed by CD Projekt, The Witcher is a Games for Windows title and will be available exclusively for the PC.

The Witcher transcends traditional fantasy role-playing by throwing players into a unique fantasy world rife with modern social issues such as terrorism, political intrigue and racism where the lines between good and evil are blurred. Based on a fictional world created by best-selling Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher casts players as Geralt, a legendary monster slayer and master swordfighter with supernatural abilities and reflexes.

"Not only does The Witcher shine with its stellar action gameplay, its thought provoking storyline riddled with mature social issues is sure to get gamers talking," said Larry Liberty, Senior Producer, Atari, Inc. "We're confident that The Witcher will prove to be one of the most acclaimed RPG titles this Fall."

"Creating The Witcher was a huge challenge, but also an adventure. Our task was to create a game with an incredibly involving story and a credible world -- a role-playing game that we ourselves would like to play," said Michal Kicinski, CD Projekt Joint CEO. "We approached this task with no compromises. Thanks to that The Witcher is not just another RPG. It's a piece of work that in many respects changes and extends the typical canon of such games. It's quite a brave approach, however I believe that thanks to that attitude The Witcher will bring much freshness into the genre and, of course, will give the players all around the world lots of joy and positive emotions. And we couldn't have asked for a better publishing partner than Atari. We're very happy that The Witcher will join Atari's stable of fantastic role-playing games."

The Witcher presents a fresh approach to traditional role-playing, blending an expansive, twisting plotline -- in which the impact of individual decisions can drastically alter the outcome of the game -- and fast-paced combat against a wide variety of foes. With highly detailed graphics, countless motion-capture animations and spectacular visual effects, The Witcher delivers brutal action, deep role-playing options and an intriguing story which will enthrall any player who dares to take on the formidable role of Geralt.

For more information about The Witcher visit www.thewitcher.com and for more details about Atari's entire product line up visit www.atari.com.

The official website for CDProjekt's The Witcher has the news that Atari has announced the details on just exactly what will be in the LE for Europe. No surprises, but now it's official :

The full contents of the European Limited Edition box are as follows:

• The Witcher game;
• Official Soundtrack CD including 29 tracks from the game;
• Double-sided full-colour world map poster;
• High-quality 204 page art book featuring production sketches, artwork and more;
• ‘Making Of’ documentary feature DVD with exclusive developer interviews and footage.

 

A few weeks ago we´ve posted, based on infos by CD Projekt, that The Witcher had been rated "16" by the German USK. As it turned out the news was a bit premature. The USK changed their mind and decided to give The Witcher an "18".

The good news: The game will be uncut and multilingual! 

German site PC Games.de has a newsbit claiming The Witcher has gone Gold, which is not surprising news given the planned October 26th release date in some territories.

We'll update with the official press release or statement when we get it.

Update: Atari clarified that The Witcher is not gold yet. It´s in the final testing phase and on track for the release later this month.

CD Projekt has posted the final system requirements for The Witcher:

Minimum requirements:

Microsoft® Windows® XP Service Pack 2, Vista (Operating System must be up to date with the latest fixes)

Intel Pentium 4 2.4GHz or AMD Athlon 64 +2800

1 GB RAM for Microsoft® Windows® XP / 1536 MB for Microsoft® Windows® Vista

128 MB Video RAM or greater with DirectX9 Vertex Shader/ Pixel Shader 2.0 support (NVIDIA GeForce 6600 or ATI Radeon 9800 or better)

8.5 GB available hard drive space

DirectX 9.0c compliant soundcard, plus speakers or headphones

DVD-Rom

 

Recommended requirements:

Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2, Vista (Operating System must be up to date with the latest fixes)

Intel Core 2 Duo 2.13 GHz or AMD X2 5600+

2 GB RAM

NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GTX or ATI Radeon X1950 PRO

8.5 GB available hard drive space

DirectX 9.0c compliant soundcard, plus speakers or headphones

DVD-Rom

BioWare is trying to help The Witcher hype, with a front page message saying they "highly recommend" the game and linking to this special "BioWare Recommends..." entry page for the official site.  An unusual PR move but they obviously figure BioWare's name alone carries clout.

News from The Witcher community site that they have the first release candidate:

First off, good news. Yesterday at 6:00 sharp we’ve finished the so called “master candidate” of the game. If, for whatever reason, you still require some help with the term, let us explain that “The Witcher” is in the absolute final phase of production and that we’ve now officially left the betas behind. The release date is just around the corner so we’re counting on your support in the final run up to the finish line!

So, CD Projekt has announced The Witcher has been through two ratings boards - German players in particular will be pleased:

CD Projekt RED informs that The Witcher has been rated by ESRB and USK.

ESRB (USA):

Rating: Mature

Descriptors: 

 

• Blood and Gore
  
• Partial Nudity
  
• Strong Language
  
• Strong Sexual Content
  
• Violence
  

USK (Niemcy):

Rating 16+

So, great news for the German gamers, you will be playing the full and uncensored version of The Witcher. No green blood this time!

European PEGI rating is still in pending.

Atari and CD Projekt have re-launched the site for The Witcher with a Flash-y site that took over a minute to load for me:

New Website Launch For 'The Witcher'

Feature-Packed Site Launches in Advance of Worldwide Launch of Highly Anticipated PC Role-Playing Game

LYON, FRANCE – 18 June 2007 – Atari Europe and CD Projekt Sp. z.o.o. today announced the launch of a brand-new website for CD Projekt’s upcoming fantasy role-playing game, The Witcher. The site at www.thewitcher.com is packed full of news, videos, game info and exclusive content, making the site the first stop for any fan of The Witcher.

The new site comprises two separate areas: a product site featuring a wealth of information about the game itself, and an area dedicated to the community with a completely new message board (all accounts and topics from the previous site will remain active). The product site is localized in eight languages – English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Russian and Czech – while the community site is available in English and Polish. Expect the unexpected with lots of surprises and changes in store for fans over the coming months.

Designed to give visitors a unique insight into the The Witcher, the website reflects the universe created by celebrated Polish fantasy author Andrej Sapkowski on which the game is based and draws visitors in to the morally ambiguous world inhabited by Geralt of Rivia, the game’s protagonist. Fans can learn about the impact of the decisions they will make throughout the story, the fearsome array of foes Geralt will meet along his chosen path, and the innovative combat system that drives his many blood-curdling encounters.

The Witcher represents the pinnacle of storytelling in role-playing games, shattering the line between good and evil with a world where moral ambiguity reigns. In a beautiful, rich game universe created by artists first, technology second, the player becomes his own hero in an epic, action-packed narrative uniquely defined by his actions. Returning to the roots of the role-playing genre with a fresh and modern approach, The Witcher emphasizes story and character development in a vibrant world, while incorporating tactically-deep real-time combat like no game before it.

Created to provide entertainment for both fans of role-playing games and those seeking fast-paced action, The Witcher brings together epic storytelling and dynamic, visually stunning, and tactically deep action.

For more information about The Witcher visit www.thewitcher.com and for more details about Atari’s entire product line up visit www.atari.com.

Tom Ohle sends word that the new site offers "news, screens, videos and loads of new info about CD Projekt and Atari’s upcoming role-playing game. Visitors will also find a brand new community-focused website that provides easy access to news, more game info and revamped message boards."

Apparently new Witcher material will be released this week, so stay tuned.

Taking a cue from other games that have used people power to promote their Limited Editions comes CD Projekt asking for input on what goody to include with the fancy edition of The Witcher.  Head to the official site to vote and please choose "T-shirt" for me.

The Official Site for The Witcher   has announced the release date for this keenly anticipated game. Here's the blurb:

Atari and CD Projekt proudly announce that “The Witcher” premiere is scheduled on September 2007

Many fans have been waiting for the official confirmation of this date for a really long time. So, we are even more happy that we can give it to you officially. From now on, the speculations are ended, the time has come to present facts. We can say it straightforwardly that, unless the sky falls down on our heads - you'll play "The Witcher" after summer break! We hope this info will cut all the discussions concerning the prolonged production of our game short. September, as the release date, will apply to all the world markets where "The Witcher" shall appear. We will reveal the day of the premiere in the following months.
 

CD Projekt has announced two card games for The Witcher, although they are currently only destined for Poland.  Here's the blurb:

Today CD Projekt RED has chosen KuŸnia Gier Publishing House to create two card games that will accompany the premiere of The Witcher PC RPG.The first card game will be created for promotional purposes, the second one will be released for a retail. Both games will precede the premiere of The Witcher PC RPG. Card games will be published in Poland, although CD Projekt does not exclude a release also in other countries.

The game requires two decks, and concentrates on challenge between two players. During the gameplay players will wander across the world of The Witcher and defeat numerous beasts. Game features adventure and strategic elements combining a typical computer game character development with a tactical approach known from the board games. The decks will include 55 and 110 cards respectively, and both games will vary in general rules, challenge time and gameplay. Both card games rules are being designed under the supervision of CD Projekt RED.

Atari and CD Projekt have signed a distribution deal for The Witcher in NA with the release due in the Fall:

NEW YORK, February 5, 2007 – Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR), one of the world’s most recognized brands and a third-party video game publisher, and game developer CD Projekt Sp. z.o.o. today announced that the companies have entered into a publishing agreement for The Witcher, whereby Atari will market and distribute CD Projekt’s upcoming fantasy role-playing game (RPG) throughout North America. The Witcher is scheduled for release on Games for Windows, the new brand optimized for Windows XP and Windows Vista, in North America in Fall 2007.

The Witcher transcends traditional fantasy role-playing by throwing players into a unique world rife with political intrigue, in which the lines between good and evil are blurred. Based on the world created by best-selling Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels, The Witcher casts players as Geralt, a legendary monster slayer and master swordfighter with supernatural abilities and reflexes. The Witcher presents a fresh approach to traditional role-playing, blending an expansive, twisting plotline – in which the impact of individual decisions can drastically alter the outcome of the game – and fast-paced combat against a wide variety of foes. Using advanced graphics and physics systems, The Witcher delivers brutal action, multi-faceted RPG options and an intriguing story to engulf all players who dare.

“The Witcher is a tremendous game that has been on everyone’s radar since CD Projekt began development,” said Jeremiah Cohn, Product Manager, Atari, Inc. “With this publishing deal, Atari continues its quest to bring highly impressive titles to North America and we have our sights set on making The Witcher one of the most anticipated RPGs of the year.”

“We are delighted to begin a mutually beneficial relationship with Atari, a publishing partner that shares our commitment to delivering a top-quality role-playing game,” said Michal Kicinski, Joint CEO of CD Projekt. “We are very much looking forward to working with Atari to bring this distinctive fantasy world that we love to a broad audience.”

For more information about The Witcher visit www.thewitcher.com and for more details about Atari’s entire product line up visit www.atari.com.

CD Projekt has licensed a mobile version of The Witcher:

Breakpoint, a rapidly growing developer and publisher of entertainment software for wireless devices, is going to bring the Witcher to mobile phones as the result of a licensing agreement with CD Projekt, a leading Eastern European publisher of PC games. The PC RPG to be released by CD Projekt this spring is going to be accompanied by the mobile game developed by Breakpoint. The latter is a 2D side-scrolling platform fighting game with RPG elements. Both games put a lot of emphasis on an innovative combat system.

The Witcher site has news of a deal to bring CD Projekt's RPG to Russia and more:

CD Projekt and Noviy Disk announce a licensing and distribution deal for the release of The Witcher in Russia, CIS and Baltic countries (read more). The game will be completely localized into Russian language and is planned to be released in Russia in Spring 2007, on the date of its European release.

The Witcher site has news that author Andrzej Sapkowski -- on whose works The Witcher is based -- recently visited CD Projekt Red to view the progress.  They have some screens and a short movie of the visit and Sapkowski signed some books and posters for future competition prizes.

CF Projekt Red sent us a note to say they are doing their Christmas Card mailout for The Witcher again this year:

The Witcher Free Christmas CardTraditionally, on the occasion of upcoming Christmas and the New Year, CD Projekt RED prepared new, unique Witcher Christmas card for game fans all over the world. This is a great collector’s item, that’s being sent every year since 2004. It’s designed by The Witcher Senior Concept Artist - Damian Bajowski, whose artwork was chosen for latest “Into the Pixel” Exhibition.Everyone who would like to receive the card, should use an online sign up service that has just been launched at www.thewitcher.com.

Service is available until end of November.