Tag: The Witcher

No, PlayStation isn’t buying the Witcher and Cyberpunk devs

Despite rumors to the contrary, it turns out PlayStation isn’t buying CD Projekt RED, makers of The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077

Despite rumors to the contrary, it turns out PlayStation isn’t buying CD Projekt RED, makers of The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077. CDPR CEO Adam Kiciński said in the company’s latest earnings call that the studio isn’t for sale, regardless of who may be interested (thanks, VGC).

“I can repeat what we have been saying throughout the years – CD Projekt is not for sale,” Kiciński said. “We want to remain independent. We have, I believe an excellent strategy. Not easy to execute, for sure, but it’s very exciting to follow our own path. So it’s a pure rumor.”

Rumors of this kind became more common after Microsoft announced its intention to buy Activision-Blizzard in 2022, which seemed to kick off a spree of acquisition announcements from major publishers, including Sony. Consumers speculated and even hoped that small-to-mid-sized publishers, including Capcom, Square Enix, and CDPR, might get swept up by the likes of Sony or Microsoft, though why this was a desirable thing wasn’t always clear.

And it turns out none of the publishers really needed someone to buy them. Capcom announced record sales thanks to Monster Hunter and Resident Evil 4, and Square Enix is gearing up to release Final Fantasy 16 in June 2023, after announcing new IP during the May State of Play presentation.

CDPR, meanwhile, is working on several new Witcher projects and plans to show Phantom Liberty, the Cyberpunk 2077 DLC, during Summer Game Fest.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

[mm-video type=video id=01fzt91heq54mhv8ggg9 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fzt91heq54mhv8ggg9/01fzt91heq54mhv8ggg9-929ae855cc35deb8739f327ccfb7e5d4.jpg]

Witcher 3 patch simplifies combat and some fans aren’t happy about it

A new The Witcher 3 patch is live with several fixes and quality of life changes, including one that has some of the RPG’s fandom divided

A new The Witcher 3 patch is live with several fixes and quality of life changes, including one that has some of the RPG’s fandom divided. The Witcher 3 patch 4.03 adds the option to automatically apply oils to Geralt’s sword before initiating combat against monsters and humans (thanks, Kotaku).

Geralt can craft and use oils to gain an advantage against certain monsters who have a weakness against certain elements. Normally, the game expects you to look up the monster you’re facing in the in-game bestiary, find its weakness, and apply the right oil. 

“I understand that this is something that people were clamoring for but it goes against the philosophy with which [sic] the game was originally designed,” one Reddit user commented. “The idea was that you were supposed to research a monster before you fought it and come prepared.”

Several commenters agreed, with one saying it made the game feel more fresh and exciting, especially to newcomers. One said it just makes sense to expect that Geralt, a seasoned Witcher, would see a monster and apply the right stuff automatically, without pausing to consult a book as if he were a novice.

Others pointed out that this option is, well, an option. No one is forcing you to automatically apply oils. If you’re like me – impatient and forgetful – and the 1.5 million people who downloaded a mod that automatically applies oils, then the toggle just makes the game more enjoyable. 

The patch also removes the option to eat or drink anything while Geralt is underwater. Unless it’s a potion, which is fair game for some reason. 

Meanwhile, The Witcher season three is coming up soon, while work on the from-the-ground-up remake of The Witcher continues.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

[mm-video type=video id=01fzt91heq54mhv8ggg9 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fzt91heq54mhv8ggg9/01fzt91heq54mhv8ggg9-929ae855cc35deb8739f327ccfb7e5d4.jpg]

The Witcher Season 3 gets a premiere date and trailer

Netflix teases what’s next for Geralt of Rivia.

The wait for Season 3 of The Witcher is almost over, as an all-new trailer has finally given us a release date.

On Tuesday, Netflix announced that The Witcher Season 3 premieres on June 29, 2023. Interestingly enough, it’ll release in two parts – with five episodes coming out on the date mentioned above – and the final three releasing on July 27, 2023. Of course, you’ll need an active Netflix subscription to watch this.

There’s also a new teaser trailer (which you can check out below) that gives us somewhat of an idea as to what Tennefer, Ciri, and Geralt are doing these days – minor spoilers for Season 2 here, so be mindful if you’re not caught up!

Oh, and the promotional poster for Season 3 is pretty slick too.

It’s been a long, somewhat bumpy road for Netflix’s The Witcher. Not everyone was particularly keen on Season 2’s finale, though many thought deviating from the books was a good call.

Production of Season 3 was also rocky, especially concerning Henry Cavill’s sudden departure – a move that even Geralt’s voice actor was upset about. None other than Liam Hemsworth will be taking over as Geralt for the show in Season 4, whenever that goes into production – likely sometime soon after Season 3 goes live.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

[mm-video type=video id=01fffzf0893zhh44fd2j playlist_id=none player_id=01gp1x90emjt3n6txc image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fffzf0893zhh44fd2j/01fffzf0893zhh44fd2j-44a0f91b9dabd063c01bd143d787decf.jpg]

The Witcher spinoff ‘Project Sirius’ to be re-evaluated by CD Projekt Red

The company is filing an impairment charge to write off funding.

Project Sirius, a multiplayer spinoff set in The Witcher universe, might be entirely rebooted by CD Projekt Red.

On Monday, CD Projekt Red made a regulatory announcement that it is filing an impairment charge for Project Sirius – effectively writing off funding intended for the game.

“The aforementioned decision is based on results of evaluation of the scope and commercial potential of the original concept of Project Sirius, and ongoing work on formulating a new framework for this project,” reads CD Project’s statement.

The bit mentioning a “new framework” suggests that Project Sirius will undergo sweeping changes. This is speculation on our part, though.

“Our current focus is ensuring that Project Sirius is aligned with the strategy of the CD Projekt Group,” said a company spokesperson to Eurogamer. “At this point in time, we are neither providing insight into the evaluation of the project nor the potential future frameworks thereof.”

Currently, all we know about the game is it will be multiplayer, uses the Witcher IP, and is being made by developer The Molasses Flood. Project Sirius was announced alongside several Witcher games last fall. 

CD Projekt Red is also working on a remake of The Witcher (as in the first game), The Witcher 4, and Cyberpunk 2077‘s Phantom Liberty expansion.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

[mm-video type=video id=01fzt91heq54mhv8ggg9 playlist_id=none player_id=01gp1x90emjt3n6txc image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fzt91heq54mhv8ggg9/01fzt91heq54mhv8ggg9-929ae855cc35deb8739f327ccfb7e5d4.jpg]

The Witcher remake will be open world, says CD Projekt Red

Geralt’s interactive debut will be much more expansive than the 2007 original.

CD Projekt Red has quietly announced that its remake of The Witcher will be a full-blown open world adventure.

In CD Projekt Red’s third quarter financial results presentation released on Monday (thanks, IGN), one particular slide mentions that the remake will be a “story-driven, single-player open world RPG – a modern reimaging of 2007’s The Witcher.”

It’s worth highlighting since The Witcher wasn’t an open world game all those years ago, adding some credence to CD Projekt Red’s initial announcement that this remake will be different from the original.

“The Witcher is where it all started for us, for CD Projekt Red. It was the first game we made, ever, and it was a big moment for us then,” Adam Badowski, CD Projekt Red studio head, said in an official blog post. “Going back to this place and remaking the game for the next generation of gamers to experience it feels just as big, if not bigger.”

Thus far, all that’s publicly known about the remake is that it’ll be using Unreal Engine 5, and studio Fool’s Theory is assisting with development.

Alongside the remake, several other The Witcher projects are in the works at CD Projekt Red. Namely, The Witcher 3‘s next-gen update and a new mainline game.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

[mm-video type=video id=01fneweg9c4wk5v2c2c9 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fneweg9c4wk5v2c2c9/01fneweg9c4wk5v2c2c9-a0465eb771466761de4c34fc9ceabc05.jpg]

[listicle id=1298189]

Geralt’s voice actor is sad over Henry Cavill leaving The Witcher

Doug Cockle, voice of Geralt in The Witcher games, said he’s sad to see Henry Cavill leave the Netflix show after the fantastic job he did

Fans were disappointed to see Henry Cavill leave The Witcher Netflix show, and it turns out even Geralt of Rivia voice actor Doug Cockle is sad to see Cavill go. Speaking on Eurogamer’s One-on-One podcast, Cockle reflected on Cavill’s version of Geralt and the first time they met after Cavill invited him to the first season’s premier.

“For whatever the reason is, I think it’s sad because I think Henry did a fabulous job as Geralt of Rivia,” Cockle said. “I wish Liam Hemsworth the very best of fortunes with it,” he said. “I am excited to see what he does with it. Henry really, really embodied the role of Geralt in a wonderful way. So yeah, I don’t envy Liam.”

Cockle also said he and Cavill spent a few hours talking about Superman and The Witcher, specifically about how they both wanted to bring Geralt of Rivia’s more human side to the forefront, rather than presenting him as some kind of emotionally stunted monster hunter.

As for what both versions of Geralt have next, the upcoming season of The Witcher is still under wraps, and while CD Projekt RED is working on a new game set in The Witcher universe, there’s no telling just yet whether it actually stars Geralt. The original Witcher game is getting the remake treatment in Unreal Engine 5, and The Witcher 3‘s next-gen update is just over the horizon, so Geralt will still get some screen time either way.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

[mm-video type=video id=01fzt91heq54mhv8ggg9 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fzt91heq54mhv8ggg9/01fzt91heq54mhv8ggg9-929ae855cc35deb8739f327ccfb7e5d4.jpg]

[listicle id=1298189]

Henry Cavill is leaving The Witcher, and fans are upset

After season 3 of The Witcher, Liam Hemsworth is taking over as Geralt.

In a stunning move, Henry Cavill announced on Saturday that he will not be returning for Season 4 of Netflix’s The Witcher — and is passing the lead role onto Liam Hemsworth.

“My journey as Geralt of Rivia has been filled with both monsters and adventures, and alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for Season 4,” Cavill said on Instagram. “As with the greatest of literary characters, I pass the torch with reverence for the time spent embodying Geralt and enthusiasm to see Liam’s take on this most fascinating and nuanced of men.”

An actual reason for Cavill’s leave has yet to come to light, and that’s unlikely to change for the foreseeable future. Though many believe it’s either due to Cavill’s new comeback as Superman in DC movies or he wasn’t happy about where Netflix was taking The Witcher — keep in mind that it’s all speculation for now. We might never hear what actually happened.

Nobody saw it coming – particularly after how adamant Cavill was about playing Geralt for seven seasons. He’ll still be the character for Season 3 since it’s already in production, at least.

As you might expect, fans are pretty unhappy about the change. Take a look below to see how everybody’s handling things. 

[mm-video type=video id=01fffzf0893zhh44fd2j playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fffzf0893zhh44fd2j/01fffzf0893zhh44fd2j-44a0f91b9dabd063c01bd143d787decf.jpg]

The Witcher Remake announced, made in Unreal Engine 5

A remake of the first Witcher game has been announced by CD Projekt Red as just one of several planned titles in the series.

The very first game in The Witcher series is currently being remade for modern consoles, as CD Projekt Red has just announced. This game was the first game made by the Polish studio, with The Witcher being a series with a medium-sized cult following until The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt turned it into a global sensation that now has its own acclaimed series on Netflix.

The very first game is liked by those who played it at the time, but there are a lot of problems and questionable design choices that cause it to fall down under a modern lens. An opportunity for fans old and new to give this classic another try is a welcome one, especially following CD Projekt Red’s recent announcement of a new Witcher trilogy in their long-term plans.

[mm-video type=video id=01fzt91heq54mhv8ggg9 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fzt91heq54mhv8ggg9/01fzt91heq54mhv8ggg9-929ae855cc35deb8739f327ccfb7e5d4.jpg]

This project was originally known under the codename “Canis Majoris” and is being developed by the Polish studio Fool’s Theory, in conjunction with some veteran Witcher developers. The announcement promises that the game is being “rebuilt from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5”, so that should mean this remake will be a proper reimagining of the game, rather than a simple graphical upgrade like some remasters.

In this announcement, the team states that the game is still early in development and asks for patience before it is talked about in any detail. This puts us in mind of The Elder Scrolls 6, which has had no official details since the teaser at E3 2018, although this hopefully won’t be quite as extreme.

Either way, it’s an exciting time to be a Witcher fan, as there are still some mystery projects for the series CD Projekt Red is yet to reveal and we’ll let you know as soon as any more news breaks on this game. You can read the full announcement post on the official Witcher website.

Written by Ryan Woodrow on behalf of GLHF.

[listicle id=1958822]

The Witcher Season 3 production is reportedly on hold due to COVID-19

Unconfirmed rumors swirl claiming Henry Cavill tested positive for the virus.

Netflix has put The Witcher Season 3 on pause following an outbreak of COVID-19 during production. Yes, again.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, there’s no confirmation that star Henry Cavill tested positive for the virus despite rumors suggesting otherwise. Netflix and Cavill’s representative did not comment on the speculation. Take that for what you will. Don’t read between the lines too much, though. Speculating on these sorts of things can veer into fruitless territory rather quickly.

It’s not the first time The Witcher has gone through this, either. Back in March 2020, during the filming of Season 2, filming shut down due to COVID-19. Eight months later that same year, it happened yet again. So the production team has clearly gone through these motions numerous times over.

[mm-video type=video id=01fzt91heq54mhv8ggg9 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fzt91heq54mhv8ggg9/01fzt91heq54mhv8ggg9-929ae855cc35deb8739f327ccfb7e5d4.jpg]

Very little is known about Season 3 of The Witcher thus far. Plot-wise, all that’s certain is it’ll (somehow) follow Season 2’s divisive conclusion. Unfortunately, there isn’t a premiere date for Season 3 yet, though many believe it’ll drop sometime in 2023. 

If you’re starving for more Gerald and Yennifer goodness, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is coming out for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S with all sorts of modern graphical enhancements sometime this fall.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

[listicle id=1869774]

The Witcher 4 is entering pre-production

CD Projekt Red has completed the ‘research phase’ of development.

Everyone is patiently awaiting any details on The Witcher 4, and development is ramping up.

On Thursday, CD Projekt Red shared a blog update confirming that Witcher 4 is entering the pre-production stage.

“We are very eager to revisit the universe which has shaped our history to such an extent,” Adam Kiciński, CD Projekt Red CEO, said. “We have recently concluded the research phase for the first game in the new Witcher saga, which means that from now on, further development expenditures will be capitalized on our balance sheet.”

Keep in mind that this also means the game is undoubtedly many years away from release. Not that you need a reminder, given it was announced barely two months ago. Aside from mentioning that it’ll utilize Unreal Engine 5, CD Projekt Red hasn’t spilled the beans on Witcher 4.

[mm-video type=video id=01fzt91heq54mhv8ggg9 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fzt91heq54mhv8ggg9/01fzt91heq54mhv8ggg9-929ae855cc35deb8739f327ccfb7e5d4.jpg]

The company is also busy with new-generation ports of Witcher 3, which should be coming out this fall. Please don’t hold your breath on that one, given how many times it’s already been delayed, though. I can scarcely believe that game is over seven years old, but it’s true.

There’s the expansion for Cyberpunk 2077 that CD Projekt Red is knee-deep in too, and a recent leak shows that Keanu Reeves may not have much of a part.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

[listicle id=1869774]