The Witcher 3 Release Date/GOG Galaxy Revealed!

CD Projekt RED and GOG had their annual summer conference today and boy was it awesome. Not only did we get a release date for The Witcher 3, we also got a new title in the series and new cross-platform play through GOG.

Before I get into the announcements, check out this new Witcher 3 trailer:

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will be released on February 24th, 2015 for the Xbox One , PS4, and PC. Being gamers themselves, CD Projekt RED reiterated that there won’t be any content withheld from any system; pre-ordering it on the PS4 over the Xbox One won’t net you some extra DLC. That said, they are adding tangible items to the standard edition of the game. Regardless of where you purchase a boxed version of the game, you’ll get a the soundtrack, Witcher Universe – The Compendium (a book explaining what happened story wise, leading up to this game), a detailed map of the in-game world, a game manual, stickers and a protective sleeve.

The collector’s edition of the game was revealed today as well. It features all of the contents of the standard version, a 33x24x26 hand painted figure of Geralt fighting a Griffin, a collector-grade Witcher medallion, steelbook box, a two-hundred page art book and inner/outer collector’s box to store your merchandise in. No price has been announced yet, though we’ll probably hear more during E3.

GOG.com has some surprises of their own, namely in GOG Galaxy – an optional client that allows players to decide if they want to connect to the internet. This DRM-free service takes out the need to connect to the client to play games; obviously you’d need to connect to unlock achievements and play with friends online. That said, there is no “check” when buying games, they’ll always load on your PC. Adding to this is a new Cross-Play feature. Gamers will now be able to play with friends regardless of where they buy their digital titles. Meaning, if I bought a game on Steam and you on GOG, we’d still be able to play with one another. Going a step further, neither party will need to download the other’s gaming client for this to happen!

The last thing that was announced was a new game in the Witcher series. This new title, called The Witcher Adventure Game, is a digital board game set in the Witcher universe. Not much information was given about the game other than the ability to join the multiplayer beta through signing up with GOG Galaxy. Still, it looked like it would offer some old school fun when released.

The gaming world has been heating up since June 1st and I’m happy to say, that none of it has to do with the weather!