The Witcher 2 Enhanced Edition Launches for Linux and SteamOS

[Fanghawk]

The Witcher 2 Enhanced Edition Launches for Linux and SteamOS

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings can be played in full on Ubuntu, and is currently on sale for $4.

The Witcher video games are beloved by many RPG fans, thanks in no small part to continued support from CD Projekt RED. The developer tends to offer frequent post-launch updates for its games, including new missions, DLC game modes, and even re-releases for new platforms. The latest example of this can be seen in The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, which CD Projekt has just re-released on Linux with full SteamOS support.

Naturally, this isn't just the base game; the complete Witcher 2 Enhanced Edition can currently be purchased for Linux. That covers the bonus DLC quests, cinematics, Arena and Dark Modes, as well as various tweaks and game fixes. As a SteamOS release, this version also includes Steam Achievements, Big Picture, and Steamworks support featured from other Steam versions of the game.

"We're really pumped to be able to invite RPG fans who use Linux to the party," said CD Projekt RED Community Manager Marcin Momot. "The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is one of the greatest fantasy adventures on Linux, and I'm sure every role-playing enthusiast with a craving for some quality questing will have tons of fun playing the game!"

As cool as it is that The Witcher 2 landed on Linux, it's the SteamOS support that has me especially curious. So far the Linux release appears to be a SteamOS exclusive, bypassing GOG.com entirely. That's pretty unusual considering CD Projekt owns GOG, not to mention the company's strong anti-DRM policy. In fact, SteamOS is an incredibly specific platform choice when there are all kinds of DRM-free Linux games currently available.

Personally, I wonder if this means a similar Steam OS/Linux release is also being planned for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which could explain what that <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/132833-The-Witcher-3-Wild-Hunt-Delayed-To-2015>release date delay was all about. We'll have to wait and see, but in the meantime it's great that Linux gamers are finally able to sink their teeth into The Witcher 2.

Both The Witcher and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings are currently 80% off on Steam. Sadly, that Linux compatibility is only available for The Witcher 2.

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[Tiamat666]

Who are these guys and why is everything they do so filled with awesome?

I mean, I know they are a polish developer and that, but I wonder what their background is, where they came from before founding CD Projekt and just pushing out a AAA title out of the blue.

 

[derping_muffins]

Who are these guys and why is everything they do so filled with awesome?

I mean, I know they are a polish developer and that, but I wonder what their background is, where they came from before founding CD Projekt and just pushing out a AAA title out of the blue.

You might find this interview interesting: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-11-06-seeing-red-the-story-of-cd-projekt

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

Cool new for those Linux users I guess, kinda still sucky and bad for those hoping it would actually land on PS3/360/Ps4/Xb1 (since it's "enhanced and all"), even it missing GoG...

I just can't see myself praising this when it's clear that the other platforms I mentioned above are still missing out and "steam OS" exclusive just isn't doing the world any better, I thought we were against exclusives by now?, or are we still selective as hell on what people can and cannot have?. I can imagine someone is going to tell me the latter just because it's "how it works".

 

[derping_muffins]

Cool new for those Linux users I guess, kinda still sucky and bad for those hoping it would actually land on PS3/360/Ps4/Xb1 (since it's "enhanced and all"), even it missing GoG...

I just can't see myself praising this when it's clear that the other platforms I mentioned above are still missing out and "steam OS" exclusive just isn't doing the world any better, I thought we were against exclusives by now?, or are we still selective as hell on what people can and cannot have?. I can imagine someone is going to tell me the latter just because it's "how it works".

We don't actually know if they're going to port it to current-gen consoles. Xbone is based on Windows and PS4 is running a derivative of FreeBSD (ergo UNIX) so I reckon it might not be that difficult. And as for it being Steam exclusive, GOG is still working on support for Linux?it would be pretty weird if they suddenly released a Linux binary for only one game

Still, releasing it on Linux now is kinda weird.

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

We don't actually know if they're going to port it to current-gen consoles. Xbone is based on Windows and PS4 is running a deriative of FreeBSD (ergo UNIX) so I reckon it might not be that difficult. And as for it being Steam exclusive, GOG is still working on support for Linux?it would be pretty weird if they suddenly released a Linux binary for only one game

Still, releasing it on Linux now is kinda weird.

It just gets me sometimes when I see news like this, I do hope they at least give either the 2nd game to current or last gens at the very least, it just feels a bit wrong at this point for them not to if they don't, seeing as how 3 is going on current gen by next year.

Also Steam has both the directors cut and Enhanced edition going on sale for 80% off so that's good, still wouldn't know which version to get though.

 

[derping_muffins]

It just gets me sometimes when I see news like this, I do hope they at least give either the 2nd game to current or last gens at the very least, it just feels a bit wrong at this point for them not to if they don't, seeing as how 3 is going on current gen by next year.

I don't think they're ever going to release a PS3 port - I remember reading somewhere that they considered Cell architecture too difficult to port to. But doesn't Xbox360 already have Enhanced Edition?

Also Steam has both the directors cut and Enhanced edition going on sale for 80% off so that's good, still wouldn't know which version to get though.

They are two different games. "The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director's Cut" is the first game that they decided to include in the promo and on The Witcher 2's store page for some incredibly strange reason

 

[Tiamat666]

Who are these guys and why is everything they do so filled with awesome?

I mean, I know they are a polish developer and that, but I wonder what their background is, where they came from before founding CD Projekt and just pushing out a AAA title out of the blue.

You might find this interview interesting: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-11-06-seeing-red-the-story-of-cd-projekt

Excellent, thanks!

 

[DrMcCoy]

Caveat emptor: It's not a proper native port. It's just the Windows binary wrapped in some emulation/virtualisation thing.

 

[derping_muffins]

Caveat emptor: It's not a proper native port. It's just the Windows binary wrapped in some emulation/virtualisation thing.

And the best part of it - apparently this wonderful propertiary wrapper performs abysmally bad on most hardware (and doesn't even start properly with certain video drivers), causes constant crashes and performs much worse than running the Windows executable through Wine, a free and open source implementation of Windows API. Something that could be used to run Witcher 2 since at least 2012 (based on some reports from Wine's appdb).

Wow. If that's how CDPR/GOG understands "Linux support"...

 

[HadBabits]

^^^^ Yep yep yep. Wouldn't buy right now if you're on a Linux box. They say they're working to improve but I haven't seen it yet; games hardly playable on my GTX 645.