14 DAY TRIAL // CD Projekt has finally revealed that it is working on and intends to publish a sequel to The Witcher called Assassins of Kings, which it has had already enough in development for the team to be able to show off a confidential demo video depicting a scene from the game. The initial release of the role-playing title was an unexpected hit and has managed to sell more than 1.2 million units on the PC, with a version for home gaming consoles also being worked on, but on hold at the moment.
The team is saying that almost all aspects of the experience are being enhanced. The graphics engine is being re-built from the ground up, with the demo showing off a really beautiful scene of a dragon slowly raining flames over a city on a cold morning and everything looks very complex and well polished for the initial stages of development. There will be more attention paid to the elements, as the wind will feature prominently alongside the day-and-night cycle.
The dialog system is getting similar work, with the choices made by Geralt when talking to someone being reflected in his actions later on and with the entire world built so that simulated life always goes on around the main character, even if he is not interested in interacting with it.
Combat, meanwhile, will aim to be even more bloody than in the original, with the movement more fluid and with more spectacular finishing moves. There are now physics based on Havok and Geralt has some pretty impressive, seemingly magical powers. Apparently, there will also be some Quick Time Events that flow in and out of combat sequences and that can influence their outcome.
CD Projekt is not talking about the platforms on which The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings will be delivered, but a PC version is pretty much a given. It will be interesting to see whether the game will arrive on consoles at launch.