It was announced today that The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings for XBOX 360 will miss its scheduled 2011 release date. The development team at CD Projekt Red shifted the much anticipated release to the first quarter of 2012.
As was previously announced, the XBOX 360 version of The Witcher 2 is an adaptation of the PC game. This means that the process involves significant changes and improvements for the XBOX 360 console version – not a typical port of the game, which is usually much simpler and faster. The move of the release date allows the team to spend more time expanding and polishing certain elements of the gameplay.
Another argument for the move to Q1 2012 is an ongoing legal debate with Namco Bandai Partners concerning distribution of the XBOX 360 version of the game in Western Europe, Asia-Pacific, as well as Central and South America.
”We have decided not to withhold information and to tell our fans immediately of the XBOX 360 launch moving to Q1 2012. As we have stated many times before, The Witcher 2 for XBOX 360 will be an adaptation and not regular port. The extra time will allow us to polish the title to perfection, so that the game offers an ideally balanced, fantastic experience to gamers. As the launch of the game approaches, we will be sharing more details how it will be released on XBOX 360. I trust that despite the release date shift, players will be satisfied with what we are planning for them,” stated Adam Kicinski, President of CD PROJEKT RED S.A. (formerly Optimus S.A.).
Gamers attending the Gamescom 2011 trade show in Cologne, Germany, will get a chance to see some CG content from the game. It will be available at CD Projekt Red‘s cinema booth in Hall 6 (stand C021). The footage shown is directed by Oscar-nominated director, Tomasz Baginski. In addition to that content, there will also be a movie regarding major downloadable content that will be part of the XBOX 360 version. It is an as-yet-unannounced update to the PC version of the game.
Considering that this is one of my most anticipated upcoming releases, the news of its delay is disappointing. However, if it means that the game will be a much better console experience, then I’m all for it.