14 DAY TRIAL // CD Projekt RED, the developer of the upcoming role-playing game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, said that the game simply had to also be available on consoles at launch.
The Witcher series started life as a PC exclusive, and it only made the jump to consoles with the sequel, and that a whole year after its PC edition went live, and only to the Xbox 360.
This time around, CD Projekt RED wanted to reach as wide an audience as possible, and given their notoriety and the quality of the first two games, the choice to also release the third chapter in Geralt of Rivia's adventure on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One home consoles will most likely prove auspicious.
The Witcher 3 will most likely be the best console role-playing game
"With The Witcher 3 we knew that we would have to reach a wider audience. We needed to be on the new consoles and in particular the PS4, because a lot of people are attracted to them," CD Projekt Red's Mical Gilewski told VG247.
The release of the two new-generation consoles enabled the developer to create a much more ambitious game and to allow players to explore the adventure in an open-world manner, rather than the linear path they had to take in previous installments.
The developer acknowledged that it was very hard to make The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings run on the Xbox 360, mainly due to the technological limitations of the last generation of consoles.
"It's only with the next-gen consoles that we can do much more. Open-world was something we've always wanted to do and we believed that was the missing element for this story. To make it truly immersive we had to let people explore it their way."
"We always wanted this but we couldn't because of technical limitations and because of the experience and size of the team," Gilewski explained.
The team's experience will translate into a massive, immersive game
The upcoming role-playing game is setting up to become one of the most memorable entries in the genre, both graphics-wise and through its content.
If the previous entry had to be redone in order to be squeezed onto the Xbox 360, the upcoming installment will take full advantage of both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox 360's superior hardware.
CD Projekt RED wants to marry the traditional single-player linear campaign encountered in most role-playing games with the freedom to roam and explore an open world.
"We didn't want to choose between a story driven game and a sandbox game. We wanted to connect the two. Whatever you do you'll be surrounded by the story and you'll be attracted by things that are happening around you."
"We wanted to avoid repetition and we wanted diversity. Not just in the player's adventures but in the assets. No one wants to stagger around the same place again and again," Gilewski concluded.
