The Witcher 3’s Wild Hunt postponed until May 2015

By Will Fulton Published December 9, 2014

witcher 3s wild hunt postponed may 2015 witcher2 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt won’t be out until May 19, 2015, a three month delay from its previous February 2015 release date, developer CD Projekt Red confirms. A open letter posted on the studio’s website by “The Board of CD Projekt SA” apologizes for the delay, explaining that the massive project’s been more complicated to polish off than expected.

“The sheer size and complexity of The Witcher, key features of the title, have had a decisive impact on production. Now, nearing the end of our work, we see many details that need to be corrected,” the post reads. “When we release the most important game in our studio’s history, we must be absolutely sure that we did everything we could to limit any bugs to a level that will allow you to enjoy the game thoroughly.”

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Wild Hunt picks up the saga of Geralt of Rivia, mutant monster slayer and legendary lothario who does the dirty work of morally ambiguous lords all across the brutal, medieval kingdom of Temeria. The opening cinematic shows Geralt and his mentor tracking the mysterious sorceress Yennefer, who has been mentioned in previous games as having a connection to Geralt’s amnesia-obscured past. Wild Hunt promises to be the largest Witcher game yet, following in the vast, open world footsteps of major role-playing games like The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim and Dragon Age: Inquisition.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will be available for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One when it arrives in May 2015. Check out the latest trailer, which premiered recently at The Game Awards 2014 and carried the teasing news that one of the characters pictured is available in the game as a second playable character.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Will Fulton is a New York-based writer and theater-maker. In 2011 he co-founded mythic theater company AntiMatter Collective…

Gaming

God of War Ragnarok shares a key strength with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Hafgufa flies away in God of War Ragnarok.

God of War Ragnarok’s main story is memorable, but some of the smaller moments are what have stuck with me most since completing it. I'm not just talking about its moments of quiet, but its optional Favors as well. These sidequests can be entirely ignored, but skipping them is a mistake as they contain some of the game’s best scenes. It's a trait that God of War Ragnarok shares with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, one of the best RPGs of the last decade.
In some large RPGs, sidequests can often boil down to boring fetch quests, or they simply may not have as much polish put into their writing. As a result, they can feel like content bloat that does more harm than good to the game’s pacing. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and God of War Ragnarok avoid this problem by elevating these sidequests, making the entire adventure feel more cohesive and ensuring that the small moments stick out as some of the best.
More than a side thing
Like God of War Ragnarok, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt features a lengthy main story full of memorable characters, set pieces, and boss fights. While those alone would have made it a strong RPG, it’s remembered as an all-time great because of how rich its world is, something that's reflected in its side content. There were quests like Ghosts of Past, which pays off the character arc of Witcher 2 character Letho, but it's entirely possible to finish the game without ever seeing it.

Others, like Return to Crookback Bog, turn what could just be some fun supernatural fights into a chilling tale about abuse and broken families. While The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s main narrative is strong, these side moments are what make it a game that sticks with you years after release. I can already tell the same will be true of God of War Ragnarok, as some of my favorite missions in the game are entirely optional Favors.
An early game Favor called The Weight of Chains sees Kratos, Mimir, and Atreus freeing a giant Lyngbakr sea creature that Mimir imprisoned while working with Odin. They manage to break its chains, but find that it now struggles to move and do what it used to. This sidequest takes a series of somewhat standard combat encounters and puzzles and spins them into critical aspects of a memorable tale. The Weight of Chains reflects on how Kratos and Mimir’s reckless actions have had irreversible consequences, but they now have an opportunity to be better people in the future.
Another standout Favor called Secret of the Sands, where Kratos and Atreus free a trapped jellyfish-like creature called a Hafgufa, is also quite beautiful. The short story shows what Kratos will do to be able to spend more time with his son in the face of Ragnarok. However ordinary these sidequests may be from a gameplay standpoint, their narrative relevance and level of polish are on par with some of God of War Ragnarok’s main quests. This high effort even applies to some side missions that wholly exist with NPCs in the game’s overworld, ones that aren't even built around huge set pieces. For example, there’s The Lost Treasure quest.

Gaming

The Witcher 3’s long-delayed current-gen update launches this December

Geralt fighting an enemy in The Witcher 3.

As promised, CD Projekt Red will release the current-gen update for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt -- Complete Edition this year, on December 14. This update will go live across PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, and is free to anyone who already owns the game on previous-gen.

The current-gen version of The Witcher 3 has been in the works for quite some time, suffering multiple delays since its initial announcement in 2021. Thankfully, the game's developer will make good on its promise to launch it in 2022.

Gaming

The Witcher is getting a full remake built in Unreal Engine 5

The Witcher

CD Projekt Red has announced a remake of the first game in The Witcher series from the ground up, built using Unreal Engine 5. Polish studio Fool's Theory will be developing the game and there are veterans of the franchise involved in its production. CD Projekt Red is providing full creative supervision for the game.

“The Witcher is where it all started for us, for CD Projekt Red. It was the first game we made, ever, and it was a big moment for us then. Going back to this place and remaking the game for the next generation of gamers to experience it feels just as big, if not bigger,” says studio head Adam Badowski in a statement. “Collaborating with Fool’s Theory on the project is just as exciting, as some of the people there have been previously involved in The Witcher games. They know the source material well, they know how much gamers have been looking forward to seeing the remake happen, and they know how to make incredible and ambitious games. And although it will take some time before we’re ready to share more about and from the game, I know it’ll be worth the wait.”