Developer CD Projekt Red announced that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Windows PC has gone gold. That means development of the game has concluded, and it's now in the hands of the publisher to be pressed into discs and loaded onto digital distribution platforms like Steam. The game is slated to go retail on May 19, 2015.
"We worked so damn hard over the past three years to bring you this game," said Adam Badowski, Head of Studio, CD Projekt Red. "From the corrupt nobles in Novigrad to ancient monsters lurking in deep forests, to the bustling cities, colorful ports and breathtaking vistas; all the people, all the places -- we literally spent tens of thousands of hours to turn all that into an adventure that will kick your ass and make you want to come for more."
The big selling point for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is that the game features a "gigantic and limitless" open world, allowing players to free-roam the virtual land at their own pace. That means players can spend hours upon hours merely hunting werewolves, taking in the lush scenery on a nice stroll, and partaking in side quests. This is in addition to the main storyline, which according to the developer is non-linear and provides over 50 hours of gameplay (over 100 hours if you throw in the side quests).
This will be the last chapter in Geralt of Rivia's journey.
Previously, Badowski said that the game will have "extensive" replay value because players can choose between storylines that exclude one another in a single playthrough. "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt crowns the trilogy with the main narrative, revolving around Geralt's search for his loved ones and his conflict with the Wild Hunt," he added.
The studio indicated that the world's setting will change based on Geralt's actions, whether it's within the main storyline or through side quests, as each land he visits has its own major local plot lines. The studio also stressed that this will be a player-crafted tale and that everything the player does is tied together.
Now that the game has gone gold, does your PC have what it takes to run The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt? Here's a recap of the minimum and recommended system requirements in a convenient, easy-to-read table. The official gameplay trailer is also inserted below.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i5-2500K or anAMD Phenom II X4 940 | Intel Core i7-3770 or anAMD FX-8350 |
| GPU | Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 or anAMD Radeon HD 7870 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 or anAMD Radeon R9 290 |
| RAM | 6 GB | 8 GB |
| Platform | 64-bit Windows 7 or 64-bit Windows 8 (8.1) | 64-bit Windows 7 or 64-bit Windows 8 (8.1) |
| DirectX | 11 | 11 |
| Hard Drive | 40 GB | 40 GB |
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