The Witcher 2 on Consoles Only a "Potential"

[Greg Tito]

The Witcher 2 on Consoles Only a "Potential"

If you were hoping to play The Witcher on your console, CD Projekt admitted that you might be out of luck.

The sequel to CD Projekt's cult PC hit is due out in March 2011. While The Witcher was purely a PC title, the Polish developer strongly indicated that The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings would get a release on the PS3 and the Xbox 360 for all those people who prefer playing RPGs on their couch rather than at their computer. Even when such a possibility was questioned earlier this year, CD Projekt vehemently restated that the team was still aiming for a console version. Unfortunately, that now seems to be less likely as a senior producer said that playing The Witcher 2 on your console is only a "potential" and that if it does happen, it definitely won't be concurrent with the PC release.

"All I can say for now is that it's not likely for any POTENTIAL console release to be simultaneous [with the PC launch]," Tomasz Gop said, senior producer at CD Projekt.

This seems to be contradictory to the company's stance earlier this year when The Witcher community said on Twitter in May 2009 [http://twitter.com/#!/witchergame/status/14698266313] that "CD Projekt always wanted and still plans to develop The Witcher 2 on consoles - nothing has changed." A community manager even went so far as to try to completely dispel any bad information: "There are some rumours about us cancelling the console versions. That's just wrong, guys!"

It's not all bad, though. While it doesn't seem that CD Projekt is completely abandoning the idea of a console Witcher, it's clear now that Tomasz Gop and his team are concentrating on making The Witcher 2 the best that it can be on PCs. And that's nothing but good news.

Source: Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-10-20-cdp-console-witcher-2-may-not-happen]

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[Autofaux]

Never thought this would happen anyway. I'm just glad its coming out on PC at all. The Witcher is still one of my favourite RPGs.

 

[Woodsey]

Can't get into the Witcher, but this looks a lot better.

"his team are concentrating on making The Witcher 2 the best that it can be on PCs."

Good.

 

[Undeadpool]

The Witcher is one of my favorite RPGs of all time (and that's coming from about a LONG line of great RPGs). Morally ambiguous storytelling at its finest.

 

[Pingieking]

The Witcher was a great game. Just insanely buggy on my system for some reason.
Looking forward to the sequel.

 

[Good morning blues]

Holy shit, misleading title, there. I was expecting an article about the PC version being cancelled in favor of console versions.

 

[sir.rutthed]

I couldn't ever play The Witcher since it was so buggy on my compy, but I definitely want to get this one. Really I'm just glad that PC is finally getting an exclusive awesome franchise. RPG's are best on PC I've always felt, so it's refreshing that PC players are getting a franchise made for them.

 

[DayDark]

Oh well, can't have it all, maybe some day down the line there will be a port.

 

[Bobzer77]

I couldn't ever play The Witcher since it was so buggy on my compy, but I definitely want to get this one. Really I'm just glad that PC is finally getting an exclusive awesome franchise. RPG's are best on PC I've always felt, so it's refreshing that PC players are getting a franchise made for them.

It's gotten a lot of patches, and a free mega overhaul that adds extra content and improves the dialog and voice acting.

 

[Altorin]

How about we get the Witcher 1?

 

[Gildan Bladeborn]

Having never harbored even the slightest inclination to play this on a console (what with me not owning any), there can be no downside to this news whatsoever. Whee!

But seriously, concurrent multi-platform development almost always translates into "the PC version gets shafted and is at best a cursory port", so I'm always happy to see PC titles being developed as PC titles, and not an afterthought while all the real effort went into the versions developed for the inherently inferior platforms that I do not own or care about.

It is after all far more likely to see elements being scaled back so they'll work on a console than it is to see elements being scaled up because the PC doesn't have the same restrictions that consoles have.

 

[sir.rutthed]

I couldn't ever play The Witcher since it was so buggy on my compy, but I definitely want to get this one. Really I'm just glad that PC is finally getting an exclusive awesome franchise. RPG's are best on PC I've always felt, so it's refreshing that PC players are getting a franchise made for them.

It's gotten a lot of patches, and a free mega overhaul that adds extra content and improves the dialog and voice acting.

Ya, I actually got the Enhanced Edition and it still doesn't work right. I'm gonna have my buddy take a look at it and try to fix it since I really want to play it, but until then I guess I'll have to be on the outside looking in.

 

[dryg]

Uhhh you people do know that nothing is stopping you from connecting a PC to a TV and using a XBOX controler ( you dont even need drivers, windows automatically uses it).

I know right, I use a 40" HDTV as my main monitor.

 

[Irridium]

So nice to see a developer develop a game using the strengths of the PC, then make it so it can take advantage of the consoles instead of developing them all at once, resulting in a lamer experience across each system.

Thanks of shafting us over, really. Also that community manager is a fail or misinformed by a lying company. Ooh well, I was looking forward for Day One purchase but apparently I am not since they mentioned it won't be equal or at least close to good as the PC version. A bad port is expected.

Bye-Bye.

So instead of developing each one at a different time which results in a better game across all platforms, you want them to develop them all at once which will result in subpar ports?

They're finishing up the PC version, making it the best they can be on the PC. Then they're most likely going to focus 100% on making it the best it can be on the consoles. This results in a good game on each system. How is that a bad thing?!

 

[theriddlen]

They will released the PC version (which, from what we could see, is pretty much "consolized") first, and after polishing they are going to release the console version. If they'd want to make a bad console port, console version would be released on same day.

 

[Akash Badrinath]

So nice to see a developer develop a game using the strengths of the PC, then make it so it can take advantage of the consoles instead of developing them all at once, resulting in a lamer experience across each system.

Thanks of shafting us over, really. Also that community manager is a fail or misinformed by a lying company. Ooh well, I was looking forward for Day One purchase but apparently I am not since they mentioned it won't be equal or at least close to good as the PC version. A bad port is expected.

Bye-Bye.

So instead of developing each one at a different time which results in a better game across all platforms, you want them to develop them all at once which will result in subpar ports?

They're finishing up the PC version, making it the best they can be on the PC. Then they're most likely going to focus 100% on making it the best it can be on the consoles. This results in a good game on each system. How is that a bad thing?!

From what I gleamed is that they will push it out on the same date. My assumption only increased when they said the console would be obviously inferior to the PC. Either that or they made a poor choice of words. Or maybe I didn't read the part where the console version will be released later on.

Yes they said that the console version will not be ready for release when the PC version ships. You should be glad that they are making sure the console versions are up to par!