Direct2Drive is having a 24 Days of Christmas sale which today slashes The Witcher's price tag in half — only $20! The sale lasts until 9 AM PT tomorrow, so get buying.

Mind you, the Enhanced Edition Director's Cut includes...

"Making of" videos with never-before-seen bonus material (180 mins)
Game Soundtrack MP3s (73 mins)
"Inspired by" Music MP3s (59 mins)
Official Game Guide PDF (112 pages)
Map of The Witcher's world

Totally a steal.

Shack PSA: The Witcher on Sale for $20 [ShackNews]

The Witcher novels feature quite a few sexual situations, so it made sense that the game would as well, though perhaps reducing said sexual situations to a sort of perverse collectible card game was the wrong way to go. Either way, the North American version of said cards got a makeover in order to be slightly more acceptable to our country's high moral standards, and....excuse me a moment. I need to recover after typing "our country's high moral standards."

Ahem. North America got a slightly tamer version of the game than the rest of the world, and now Atari is fixing that. The Director's Cut is available today as a patch from Atari's website, and all digital distribution points (Steam, Not Steam, That Other One) will now offer the Director's Cut in place of the normal Enhanced Edition.

Of course if you really cared that much you would have already downloaded the unofficial mod, but official nude pictures are always more tasteful than the unofficial ones.

Those of you pondering removing The Witcher install from your PC in order to free up space might want to hold off a little bit longer. Patch 1.5 has been released, bringing with it five new adventures created by the game's player community using the D'jinni creation tools. Deceits, Blight of the Bogs, Wraiths of Quiet Hamlet, The Wedding, and the unseasonal Merry Witchmas are each included in the patch, giving players a small taste of what has been wrought since CD Projekt unleashed free creation tools upon the community.

Perhaps even better news, patch 1.5 also removed the DRM from The Witcher, meaning you can simply install the game and play it, rather than having to worry about making sure the disc is in the drive and such. Of course no-disc hacks generally pop up within minutes of a PC game release if not sooner, but it's nice to get a little official love now and then.

Patch 1.5 now available! [The Witcher]

With CD Projekt Red mum on the rumors of the game's cancellation, French development partner Widescreen games have issued a press release addressing the fate of Rise of the White Wolf. The company indicates that financial difficulties between the partners involved in the game's creation have caused them to halt progress for the time being. Note that the following quote is a translation of the original French press release.

"The development of the game The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf was suspended for the duration of the resolution of financial problems between the various partners of the project. We regret this event particularly in regards to the fans who awaited this title impatiently. I hope that we will find a solution in good understanding with our recent and historical partners on this ambitious project," explained Olivier Masclef, manager of the company Widescreen Games.

We once again contacted CD Projekt Red for their comment on this latest development, only to receive another "no comment".

So while the game isn't technically cancelled, according to Widescreen Games it definitely isn't progressing at the moment. We expect CD Projekt Red to issue its own statement in the near future.

Update: The CD Projekt Group's joint CEO Michal Kicinski responded to allegations brought on by Widescreen boss Olivier Masclef in an interview with VG247, in which he alleged that CD Projekt had missed several payments to the company for its work. The following response was posted in the comments section of VG247.

It is sad that we cannot talk with WSG in normal business way, but communicate through media. It is absolutely not our style of making business, and we answer here as we feel forced to do this to clarify the unclear information:

1. All payments were done on time according to milestone plan.

2. Truth is that payments were later than originally planned but this was solely due to delays in production. The delays were growing in the project due to WSG continued to miss the deadlines.

3. Delays and risks of further development by WSG were unacceptable by CD Projekt (this happened even though CDProjekt RED was constantly increasing main team involvement to help in the production). The most important fact is that development process didn't make planned release date possible and moreover propositions of the new release date were changing few times. Besides the schedule, technical incapability created a risk of missing planned quality which is absolutely unacceptable. And this brought an end in our cooperation with WSG.

4. Currently the works are on hold. We are evaluating all possible options to continue the production.
Making this decision was extremely difficult and sad as we know that many people are waiting for this project. We do our best to find a way out of this situation. But final decision must guarantee high quality of the product, otherwise we won't continue the production no matter what consequences it will bring. We are committed to the highest quality of all our games, and this is unnegotiable for us.

So no matter what the final decision or solution we will find, please be sure that it will be the best for the game quality, and satisfaction of gamers, which is the most important for us!

Michal Kicinski
Joint CEO
CD Projekt Group

So there it is, laid out in a very odd forum. There's no telling who is in the right at this point. Here's hoping that the differences can be settled and Rise of the White Wolf will one day rise again.

The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf 'Frozen' [Game Banshee]

The rumor first surfaced at Polish site Polygamia, which simply stated that reliable sources had informed them that The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf had been canceled. We contacted CD Projekt Red for a comment on that story, only to receive the following response:

We don't comment on rumors or speculation; any future plans for The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf will come through official channels.

Now a thread regarding the cancellation has appeared on the game's official forums, discovered by reader Elyk via a thread on NeoGAF. A response from PR and Community Manager Eriash simply states that "We will comment on this in official release soon".

Given the amount of enthusiasm that CD Projekt has shown for The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf and the popularity of the original PC version, it's hard to imagine that they'd cancel this release so suddenly, especially considering that new assets have been released as recently as a month ago.

Still, asking a developer if their game is canceled generally elicits a no if the game has not been canceled, so we're very curious to see what CD Projekt has to say on the subject once an official statement is released. All we can do now is wait.

Konsolowy Wiedźmin skasowany? [Polygamia]

The thing I love about PC games being ported to consoles is the fact that I no longer have to worry about system requirements. The thing I hate about PC to console ports is the sacrifices made to move them from the more versatile platform to a fixed one, usually in the area of graphics. Judging from these three screens, I'd say the developers are doing a fine job of avoiding that particular nuisance with the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of The Witcher. If they can maintain this sort of quality while still delivering a game with a solid frame rate, I'll be sold all over again.

In fact, if CD Projekt's Tom Ohle is to be believed (and why shouldn't he be?) to call The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf a port is to do it a disservice.

"We’re not just slapping together a port and are actually making a game built from the ground up to be an amazing console RPG," said Ohle, "We’ve gone back and motion-captured a lot more combat animations for the new combat actions, like parries, counter-attacks, enhanced evasion, special attacks, etc. We’re also enhancing the enemy AI to make them more aggressive and perform a wide range of offensive and defensive actions to make the combat a bit more action-oriented."

The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf Q&A — Console DLC Confirmed! [GameCyte]

The console version, as previously reported, features a revamped combat system for action-hungry Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners, and if this video at all reflects the way Geralt is going to move in the game, it should definitely be an experience that even the biggest fans of the PC title will want to get their hands on.

Hit the jump for a set of in-game screenshots that display just how nicely the move to consoles is being handled.

As yesterday's rumor indicated, the full title of the console port is The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf. Following the same story as the original PC version, consoles will see a new graphis engine and a revamped combat system to make things more entertaining for the analog stick crowd. Basically they are rebuilding the title from the ground up for its console debut, so even folks like me who've played through the PC version 4 times since release might want to give it another go.

"We're thrilled to continue our great relationship with Atari, whose refreshing focus on quality fits squarely with our own, to bring Geralt and the Witcher franchise to an even larger audience - fans who expressed to us very clearly that The Witcher would be a natural fit on consoles," said Adam Kicinski, CEO, CD Projekt RED.

The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf is currently scheduled for a Autumn 2009 release.

'The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf' Coming Autumn 2009 to PLAYSTATION(R)3 System and Xbox 360(R)

NEW YORK, Dec. 2 NY-Atari-TheWitcher

- Award Winning, Million-selling Role-playing Franchise Coming to Consoles with Thrilling New Dynamic Combat, State of the Art Visuals and Unparalleled Story -

NEW YORK, Dec. 2 — At the ATARI LIVE showcase event in London today, Atari and CD Projekt RED announced plans for the global release of The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf on PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft in autumn 2009.

Based on the story of multi award-winning million-selling PC role-playing game The Witcher and completely rebuilt pixel by pixel for the new generation of consoles, The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf brings the unrivalled RPG experience to Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 with a brand new combat system for thrilling dynamic action, and a new engine delivering matchless state-of-the-art visuals. The game is underpinned with the evocative and enthralling story which helped secure the original game's status as PC role-playing game of 2007, based on the mature and compelling universe created by renowned Polish fantasy writer Andrzej Sapkowski.

"The creative vision and dedication to the quality of the player experience that CD Projekt RED bring to the Witcher games is extraordinary, and it's great to be working with them to bring the Witcher universe to console gamers," said Phil Harrison, President of Infogrames Entertainment, the parent company of Atari. "Taking this brilliantly realised world to PLAYSTATION 3 and Xbox 360 gamers for the first time is a breakthrough in the development of this important franchise."

"We're thrilled to continue our great relationship with Atari, whose refreshing focus on quality fits squarely with our own, to bring Geralt and the Witcher franchise to an even larger audience - fans who expressed to us very clearly that The Witcher would be a natural fit on consoles," said Adam Kicinski, CEO, CD Projekt RED. "Console gamers' tastes are maturing; they're looking for deeper story-driven experiences that are very hard to find in today's console market. We're developing this remake based upon the compelling narrative that helped The Witcher on PC sell more than a million copies and win more than 100 awards, building everything else from the ground up to be the definitive console RPG."

Based on the universe created by best-selling Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf puts players in the role of Geralt, a professional monster slayer who exists on the fringes of a complex society troubled by the kind of problems more commonly found on the front pages of newspapers than in a fantasy universe. Taken as a child, mutated, and trained in the arcane ways of the witchers, Geralt is a reluctant hero, who nonetheless finds himself all too frequently in the heat of battles that are not his own. In this world there is no right or wrong, only decisions and consequences.

With The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf, the best PC RPG in recent years is being completely remade as the ultimate console RPG. The title is being developed by a core team from CD Projekt RED working alongside France-based Widescreen Games who provide their cross-platform DaVinci engine technology. For more information about The Witcher visit www.thewitcher.com and for more details about Atari's entire product line up visit www.atari.com.

The Witcher Sells One Million Copies In A Year [Gamasutra]

I'm assuming they also fixed whatever it was that was letting me kick so much ass in the beta version, as evidenced by the frustrated comments in the original post. Only one way to be sure though...head over to The Witcher: Versus and challenge the powerful sorceress Kotaku to a duel. Muhahahaha.

The Witcher: Versus [CD Projekt Red]

The Witcher Enhanced Edition Release Date [Official Website]

"CD Projekt has always been oriented to gamers' needs, so releasing an adventure editor for the modding community is an obvious move. It's quite a demanding tool, however, and it will bring loads of satisfaction to many of the fans. After all, we made The Witcher with this tool," said Adam Kiciński, CEO, CD Projekt RED.

Create New Legends With 'The Witcher' Adventure Editor, Plus First New Official Adventure For Fans

Atari Announces the Launch of the 'D'jinni' Adventure Editor, 'Price of Neutrality' Adventure and Patch 1.3 for CD Projekt's Acclaimed PC Role-Playing Title

LYON, FRANCE - 14 April 2008 - Atari today announced the release of the D'jinni beta adventure editor and Price of Neutrality adventure together with patch 1.3 for The Witcher, the PC role-playing opus from Polish development studio CD Projekt RED which continues to garner high praise and new fans the world over thanks to its unique blend of mature fantasy universe, tough decision making and intense tactical combat. The first official adventure and patch 1.3 are available for free download via www.thewitcher.com, with a separate free download available containing the D'jinni beta adventure editor.

"CD Projekt has always been oriented to gamers' needs, so releasing an adventure editor for the modding community is an obvious move. It's quite a demanding tool, however, and it will bring loads of satisfaction to many of the fans. After all, we made The Witcher with this tool," said Adam Kiciński, CEO, CD Projekt RED. "We've also prepared the first official mod with a completely new adventure which will be available to download for free."

The Price of Neutrality is the first official adventure from the team at CD Projekt and features around two hours of gameplay during which the player is introduced to the other witchers in more detail following their brief appearance in the original game. Populated with new NPC's and other new graphical assets, the adventure takes the player into the little explored outskirts of Kaer Morhen in a compelling story with tough decisions and more than one possible ending. The adventure text is localised in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish and Polish. In the same download, patch 1.3 readies the game for playing the new adventure.

The English language D'jinni beta adventure editor will let fans craft complete new adventures for Geralt using the existing graphical assets, maps and environments in the game. By creating new stories, cut-scenes, graphical effects, dialogue and gameplay actions, users of the adventure editor can let their imaginations run wild predicting the turmoil and tests waiting in Geralt's future, or even filling in the missing years between the close of Andrzej Sapkowski's last Witcher novel and the start of the game.

Based on the universe created by best-selling Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher puts players in the role of Geralt, a professional monster slayer who exists on the fringes of a complex society troubled by the kind of problems more commonly found on the front pages of newspapers than in a fantasy universe. Taken as a child, mutated, and trained in the arcane ways of the witchers, Geralt is a reluctant hero, who nonetheless finds himself all too frequently in the heat of battles that are not his own. In this world there is no right or wrong, only decisions and consequences.

The Witcher is available now at retailers across Europe as a standard game pack and as a Limited Edition containing a wealth of exclusive content. For more information about The Witcher visit www.thewitcher.com and for more details about Atari's entire product line up visit www.atari.com.

-ends-

The Witcher: Duel Mail [Official Site]

Engage in Deadly Battles in The Witcher: DuelMail

WARSAW, March 31 2008 - CD Projekt RED is very pleased to announce the launch of The Witcher: DuelMail closed beta, based on the company's best-selling PC role-playing game, The Witcher. The Witcher: DuelMail is a completely free-of-charge next-gen web-browser game that offers depth seldom found in similar products. The start of open beta is planned for April 7th, with the final version scheduled for release on May 9th.

The Witcher: DuelMail is centered around battles between two players digitally incarnated as one of three completely different character classes. Winning consecutive fights against other real-world people gains the player experience which allows them to advance to higher levels of character development, along with gaining new skills and items to use in combat. Players queue up attacks, magical spells and defensive maneuvers, then send their challenges to other players, who must create their own counter sequence in hopes of being the last one standing. In order to join, the game requires only a PC with an internet connection and a web browser with Flash installed.

What distinguishes The Witcher: DuelMail from a large number of similar Flash games is the high level quality throughout, which would usually be found in higher-budget products. The company responsible for The Witcher: DuelMail's development, one2tribe Company, has been able to include spectacular battle visuals with high-quality animations created using motion-capture technology, as well as extraordinary special effects along with full sound implementation.

The Witcher: DuelMail is further distinguished by special events and regular updates that will keep the game alive and constantly expanding. Besides fighting for the top spot on the game's ladders, top players can also expect to collect precious rewards in battle. To avoid feeling rampant loneliness, players can invite friends via e-mail in order to play together.