Home Gaming E3 2014 – The Witcher 3:The Wild Hunt will be a 100 hour game

E3 2014 – The Witcher 3:The Wild Hunt will be a 100 hour game

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Witcher-3

One of the biggest games of E3 this year had to be The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt. It’s bigger, more beautiful than ever and it’s pretty much going to consume your life next year. Don’t believe me? Well Environment Artist Johan Mattson might convince you just how massive the final chapter in the saga of Geralt of Rivia will be.

“We researched a lot in classic works of art actually, in composition to make sure that every region had its own identity,” Mattson said of the stunning landscapes and vistas in The Witcher 3.

Like rolling hills, what kind of farmland would you find there, the swamps etcetera. Also real-life photography so we get the tones, the composition, what types of vegetation to create these unique locations.

In the third game, monster hunting is taking a big step up, with the world of The Witcher now being inhabited by quite a few of these supernatural denizens. Creatures that need a taste of silver from the hands of a trained sword-hand. And expect plenty more monsters to be seen, that have an old world design to them. “We’ve drawn a lot of inspiration from old folklore, you know Slavic, Germanic,” Mattson explained of the monster design in the game.

All you need is there, to find it. So I think people can relate better to it if you base it on what people used to believe. So monster design, the character department has done a great job with it.

Don’t expect The Witcher 3 to be a game that can be completed 100% in a few short hours either. This one is going to take a while. “Yeah, I mean we have fifty hours of main quests and fifty hours of side quests. So it’s about a hundred hours of gameplay,” Mattson said.

And that’s not including the normal exploration, tracking monsters so that there’s tons of stuff for you to do. Side quests for us, we don’t want you to have FedEx quests, because that’s just boring.

We don’t want you to fetch this sword in a cave and bring it back to us, that’s boring, that doesn’t add anything. What we’ve done, we’ve designed this so that it’s kind of organic so that side quests can tie into the main quests. So it’s not really obvious that you’re doing a side quest, it’s just like a story that you’re experiencing.

The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt is out next year. Not soon enough if you ask me. And if you want the game for free, then click here.

Last Updated: June 19, 2014

105 Comments

  1. I WANT’S IT!!!!

    100 glorious hours, money WELL spent I’d say

    Reply

    • Rince&exhale

      June 19, 2014 at 11:04

      So you’re gonna wait for the steam sale then? 😛

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief Cyber Commando

        June 19, 2014 at 11:11

        Nope, grabbing the prize Darryn is giving away, either that or some competition, hehehe

        Reply

        • Viking Of GabeN

          June 19, 2014 at 11:20

          That Prize is mine! 😛

          Reply

          • Kensei Seraph

            June 19, 2014 at 11:35

            I call dibs!

          • Viking Of GabeN

            June 19, 2014 at 11:41

            It’s a Kensei-Admiral-Viking 3 way Battle then…. My body is ready!

    • Hammersteyn

      June 19, 2014 at 11:12

      yes

      Reply

  2. Sk3tz0

    June 19, 2014 at 11:02

    Curious Question… As some1 who hasnt played the previous 2 games. will it be worth getting the 3rd.. Story line wise..

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief Cyber Commando

      June 19, 2014 at 11:04

      http://www.gog.com/game/the_witcher_2

      Jam that while you wait. I have yet to play W1

      Reply

      • Kromas

        June 19, 2014 at 11:14

        Bad Bad Admiral Chief! Go play 1 NOW!

        Reply

        • Admiral Chief Cyber Commando

          June 19, 2014 at 11:15

          ‘Tis on the backlog

          Reply

          • Kromas

            June 19, 2014 at 11:16

            When backlog meets deadline … that is when you know you are screwed.

          • Admiral Chief Cyber Commando

            June 19, 2014 at 11:18

            Dun dun DUNNNNNNNNNNNNN

            I have a few months though

          • Kromas

            June 19, 2014 at 11:20

            Suddenly a wild release date appears and only 1 week left. 😛

          • Admiral Chief Cyber Commando

            June 19, 2014 at 11:21

            Suddenly a sickness develops, necessitating my absence from the wild land of “work”

            The cure? Intense gaming

          • Kromas

            June 19, 2014 at 11:23

            hahaha. I have not pulled that one in a long long time. However with DA looming close by I am starting to rapidly feel ill. 😛

          • ToshZA

            June 19, 2014 at 11:25

            I got one word for you and Admiral.

            Freelance.

            Suck it.

          • Admiral Chief Cyber Commando

            June 19, 2014 at 11:26

            Ahhhh, but no work no pay then.

            No thanks, I’d rather get a paid leave

          • ToshZA

            June 19, 2014 at 11:27

            Yeah but in 4 days I earn half of what I used to earn in a month. I only need 5 days work a month to not only cover expenses, but have budget to buy sexy new games.

            Plus I don’t have to fill in paperwork, or call in sick, or explain. I just play games.

          • Kromas

            June 19, 2014 at 11:29

            What sector?

          • ToshZA

            June 19, 2014 at 11:30

            Animation mostly, but I do design work as well. More often than not it’s corporate and events, but I’m busy on animations for 2 SABC tv shows atm.

          • Kromas

            June 19, 2014 at 11:31

            Yeah try and freelance in IT. It does not work out that well. 😛

            I am happy with a corporate job with a corporate pay and corporate hours.

            Also awesome coffee. 🙂

          • ToshZA

            June 19, 2014 at 11:32

            Yeah fair enough, not everyone can freelance. I’m lucky that I can, but it won’t stop me from bragging. 😀

          • Kromas

            June 19, 2014 at 11:33

            Yeah kinda like me always bragging that I own an original Episode 4 soundtrack LP signed by John Williams.

            Btw I was just bragging now. 😛

          • ToshZA

            June 19, 2014 at 11:34

            Who’s John Williams?

          • Kromas

            June 19, 2014 at 11:35

            The creator of every Star Wars theme as well as Indiana Jone’s theme and Jurassic Park and Close encounters and pretty much any and every George Lucas/Steven Spielberg film.

          • ToshZA

            June 19, 2014 at 11:36

            Well, then it’s definitely something to brag about. Nice one! Wow.

          • Alex Hicks

            June 19, 2014 at 13:10

            I work in IT; but as a commercial guy. I most definitely cannot freelance. I’m also the only breadwinner in a family of 4 and school fees / medical expenses don’t fucking pay themselves …. (weirdly)

          • Admiral Chief Cyber Commando

            June 19, 2014 at 11:30

            “Entertainment”

            😛

          • ToshZA

            June 19, 2014 at 11:31

            LOL. Hmmm. Actually…

      • Alex Hicks

        June 19, 2014 at 11:20

        I really struggled to get into 1. Too different a gameplay mechanic – and camera angle. I believe you have to slog a bit and then it suddenly gets really good. So maybe I need to grit my teeth and just push through the pain barrier.

        But I have so few hours to game because I have family commitments and work commitments (and maybe I should just be committed) that I tend to jam games I really enjoy.

        Reply

        • Admiral Chief Cyber Commando

          June 19, 2014 at 11:20

          Apparently there is a mod for W1, and a combat mod for W2

          Reply

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            June 19, 2014 at 11:29

            Yes, the combat rebalance mod for 2 is pretty sweet.

          • Mossel

            June 19, 2014 at 13:05

            Combat mod is for pussies! Although I cant see myself playing W2 on the highest difficulty, was pretty hectic on medium already. (in the beginning at least, it becomes easier near the end)

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            June 19, 2014 at 13:11

            I played it on release, before it got the enhanced edition update – talk about being thrown into the deep end lol.

        • Viking Of GabeN

          June 19, 2014 at 11:21

          It’s really the first act, outskirts of Vizima…. Just run through it, it gets amazing once you’re in the city.

          Reply

        • Kromas

          June 19, 2014 at 11:21

          W1 had a very steep gameplay curve but once you get over the hump you will love it.

          Reply

          • Admiral Chief Cyber Commando

            June 19, 2014 at 11:23

            I never get over the hump, I keep going back to it

            *wink wink nudge nudge*

        • Mossel

          June 19, 2014 at 13:04

          I played W1 for about an hour or two and got bored like you. Then in March I started it again…omw dude. Once you get into the story it will blow you away! But it is very slow paced, so just bare with it.

          Reply

          • Alex Hicks

            June 19, 2014 at 13:07

            Bare it? As in play in the nude? In this weather? DAMN ….

            (Jokes – thanks for the reply … I may have to drag myself into it)

          • Mossel

            June 19, 2014 at 13:10

            lol as I was typing that I wondered if it is the correct spelling! I knew someone would tune me! The combat is a bit weird, but actually pretty easy once you get used to it. So go check it out!

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      June 19, 2014 at 11:09

      I’m sure they’ll give you a decent back story so you’re not too lost story-wise. You didn’t really have to play 1 before starting 2.

      Reply

    • Monado

      June 19, 2014 at 11:11

      Emotional connection is important. It would enhance the game playing 2 and 1 before 3

      Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        June 19, 2014 at 11:14

        As a side note – 1 is PC only, and you can import your save game into 2 (will work the same with 3). Gives you some nice starting equipment & you’ll get a few little references to things you did in 1 as you play.

        Reply

        • Kromas

          June 19, 2014 at 11:15

          Indeed. That is why I am replaying it as soon as I am done with DA2. Lost all my saves in the great HDD crash of 2014.

          Reply

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            June 19, 2014 at 11:17

            I had that happen with my ME saves before 3 came out.

            http://www.gamesave-manager.com/ – link it to dropbox or whatever. Pretty damn handy.

          • Kromas

            June 19, 2014 at 11:19

            I got both google drive and skydrive and also keep steamcloud and origin cloud online at all times.

    • Viking Of GabeN

      June 19, 2014 at 11:19

      Good Question. Actually, And I would say Ideally you’d want to play W1 and 2 First… Especially now, that they’re cheap, and give you a preorder discount on GOG and all…

      So go buy! Or not, The Devs have stated that you will noty have needed to play the first 2 to get the full witcher 3 experience. (remember, it’s the first one on a sony console) 🙂

      Reply

    • CypherGate

      June 20, 2014 at 09:48

      I never played part one. Tried to but the fighting mechanics just put me off so started on The Witcher 2 which was AMAZING. Simply Amazing. Im looking forward to The Witcher 3!

      Reply

  3. Admiral Chief Cyber Commando

    June 19, 2014 at 11:03

    http://www.gog.com/game/the_witcher_2

    Seriously, $4, GO DO IT if you have not jammed yet

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      June 19, 2014 at 11:17

      Fine I will!

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief Cyber Commando

        June 19, 2014 at 11:18

        Wait, you never jammed it?

        Reply

        • Viking Of GabeN

          June 19, 2014 at 11:19

          Hammersteyn dissapoints!

          Reply

          • Admiral Chief Cyber Commando

            June 19, 2014 at 11:20

            Heh, dat avatar!

          • Hammersteyn

            June 19, 2014 at 11:39

            Wont miss the third one for the world

        • Hammersteyn

          June 19, 2014 at 11:39

          Backlog

          Reply

  4. Rince&exhale

    June 19, 2014 at 11:04

    God dammit bring this game to me NOW!

    Reply

  5. Monado

    June 19, 2014 at 11:10

    That T-Shirt….is so amazing

    Reply

  6. Alien Emperor Trevor

    June 19, 2014 at 11:10

    I want it. Collector’s edition. Day one. The only one for me.

    Reply

    • Rince&exhale

      June 19, 2014 at 11:10

      I think this may be a collector’s for me too, also day one. And a week off work.

      Reply

    • Kromas

      June 19, 2014 at 11:13

      Yep.

      Reply

  7. ToshZA

    June 19, 2014 at 11:13

    This makes me want to reinstall The Witcher 2. Cannot wait for this game.

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      June 19, 2014 at 11:16

      Buying Witcher 2 now.

      Reply

      • ToshZA

        June 19, 2014 at 11:24

        at $4 it’s a steal. It’s worth full retail price, even now.

        Reply

        • Viking Of GabeN

          June 19, 2014 at 11:27

          I paid R150 for enhanced in a Retail Box…. Got a Map, OST, and a freakin’ game manual… remember when those were a thing? Oh, and a free Backup on GOG.com So If my discs stop working, I Still have a backup.

          Reply

          • Rince&exhale

            June 19, 2014 at 11:29

            Me too, have the map on my wall 🙂

          • ToshZA

            June 19, 2014 at 11:29

            God I miss manuals. So much. That was the first thing I did when buying a game. Open box. Acquaint myself with the manual.

          • Admiral Chief Cyber Commando

            June 19, 2014 at 11:30

            Yeah man, so awesome!

          • Viking Of GabeN

            June 19, 2014 at 11:31

            That’s exactly why I’ll buy Retail Box of Witcher 3, even the standard Edition gets a map, Manual and OST… Lord GabeN bless CDPR…

          • ToshZA

            June 19, 2014 at 11:32

            Music to my ears. If they could read.

          • Mossel

            June 19, 2014 at 12:58

            I will do it, if only, for the map! Love me some maps! I read the first GoT book and that map in the book makes a hell of a difference. You just get the vibe of the world and how everything fits in.

          • Kensei Seraph

            June 19, 2014 at 11:38

            Open box, start install, read manual.

            I remember a friend playing Sacred and struggling.
            I ended up sitting behind him reading the manual which he hadn’t read.
            I read one of the things mentioned in the manual and he turned around, stared at me and then deleted his character.
            I learnt then the power of manuals.

          • ToshZA

            June 19, 2014 at 11:40

            hahaha, I can totally see that happening. Yeah, it wasn’t just the info though. There was just something special about that printed book, the smell, the feel of fresh manual. That sounds creepy as fuck, but anyone who played games in those days knows.

          • Kensei Seraph

            June 19, 2014 at 11:48

            Anyone who loves reading from before e-books will know what you mean.
            And I have loved reading since 1998.

          • Skoobaz

            June 19, 2014 at 12:28

            ahh yes..

          • Kromas

            June 19, 2014 at 11:41

            This book is for all.

          • Mossel

            June 19, 2014 at 12:59

            RTFM = Read the fuckin manual. My electronics lecturer kept on saying this to us.

    • Mossel

      June 19, 2014 at 12:56

      Replayed it two weeks ago! Was awesome! I made sure I did everything in the exact opposite manner. Apparently there are 8 endings!

      Reply

      • Brady miaau

        June 19, 2014 at 16:01

        but most, for me, were sad.

        no spoilers, but those who finished will know

        Reply

  8. R1ker

    June 19, 2014 at 11:14

    Damn – 100 hours – I only played about 5 hours of the 1st one. Got it on special on steam a while ago. Really need to finish the first 2 first before tackling this. Just need to find the time 🙁

    Reply

    • Kromas

      June 19, 2014 at 11:14

      Cause you need the saves. It is important.

      Reply

      • R1ker

        June 19, 2014 at 11:24

        Good to know – thanks. I actually wanted to start playing Witcher 2 just to see what it was like but did not start it yet so not to spoil anything for me story wise. Did not know saves of the previous games will do anything.

        Reply

        • Viking Of GabeN

          June 19, 2014 at 11:45

          *SPOILER FREE* They Carry over, or at least 1’s did to 2… Depending on how you handled situations affects how some character interract with you, It’s like mass effect, but feels purposeful.

          Reply

        • Mossel

          June 19, 2014 at 12:55

          Yeah you carry over some weapons as well. So that’s cool. And like Viking said, certain characters will hate/love you for stuff you did. The cool thing about witcher is you never really now what is right or wrong. In Mass Effect and Dragon Age you can CLEARLY see that if you click this option I will become the good guy. In Witcher there isn’t much of a difference between good and evil.

          Reply

          • R1ker

            June 19, 2014 at 13:30

            You guys actually got me very hyped to start giving this a go now. I understand now why everyone is raving about the games.

  9. Rock789

    June 19, 2014 at 11:22

    Oh yes – this will be mine! Day 1 purchase of the Collector’s Edition – guaranteed!

    Also makes me wanna play The Witcher 2 again… Me thinks I shall have to begin my quest anew this weekend!

    Reply

  10. Ryanza

    June 19, 2014 at 11:38

    I can not wait for The Witcher 3. It is going to be such a good game.

    The Witcher 3 has so many selling points and I hope you guys are getting people you know or don’t know, to buy this game:
    – Good RPG
    – Good looking open world game, horses, (Red Dead Redemption)
    – Swords
    – Story and buy the books damn it
    – Music and voice acting
    – No need to play Witcher 1 or 2
    – Will test your PC and proper console ports
    – No DRM
    – If you don’t like the game, you can sell it.

    Why is this game not up for pre-order in RSA?

    Support DRM free games.

    Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      June 19, 2014 at 11:40

      According to the guys @ Raru it’ll be up for pre-order in a couple of weeks, including the collector’s edition. Asked them yesterday.

      Reply

      • Viking Of GabeN

        June 19, 2014 at 11:43

        If there are any collector’s Editions left by then…. It’s very limited…

        Reply

      • Ryanza

        June 19, 2014 at 11:49

        I search daily, waiting for the pre-orders for The Witcher 3. If there are no collector’s editions, I will send Julius Malema to Megarom to sort them out.

        Reply

        • ToshZA

          June 19, 2014 at 11:52

          • Ryanza

            June 19, 2014 at 11:56

            call them racist. just because this is Africa doesn’t mean we should get the pre-orders last.

            He will take it to parliament damn it and blame it on Zuma.

          • Kensei Seraph

            June 19, 2014 at 11:58

            He’s not going to go out of his way now that the elections are over.

          • Ryanza

            June 19, 2014 at 12:01

            Malema is making himself being heard in parliament. I hope he keeps it up.

        • Tiaan Pat

          June 23, 2014 at 07:01

          Email BT Games, they will let you know once they have made a decision on bringing the game in or not!

          Reply

    • Kromas

      June 19, 2014 at 11:42

      If you don’t play Witcher 1+2 beforehand I will slap you with a red snappah!

      Reply

      • Ryanza

        June 19, 2014 at 12:07

        Still haven’t played Witcher 1. But I’m preparing for a Witcher binge near the end of the year. 1st I need to get all the books.

        Read all the books and then play Witcher 1 and Witcher 2 and then twitch until release.

        Reply

        • Kensei Seraph

          June 19, 2014 at 12:16

          Now that sounds fun.

          Reply

        • Alien Emperor Trevor

          June 19, 2014 at 12:56

          Witcher 1 is ripped pretty much straight from the books. Really enjoyed reading them.

          Reply

  11. Ryanza

    June 19, 2014 at 11:45

    I will object to another Witcher game. At least if you look at Witcher 1, 2 and 3, you see a vast improvement between each game. Not like COD 4, 5, 6, 7, ect where you see zero improvement.

    I am looking forward to Cyberpunk 2077 and new IP’s from CD Projekt Red. The Witcher is great but we can’t have that forever, Call of Duty.

    Support DRM FREE games.

    Reply

    • Viking Of GabeN

      June 19, 2014 at 11:47

      CDPR have said that this Will be the Last Witcher Game as we know it. And I’m confident we’ll get more on Cyberpunk after Witcher 3 Releases…. 😀

      Reply

      • Ryanza

        June 19, 2014 at 11:58

        Yeah I know. Just commenting on what I heard in that video and preparing for my Call of Duty hate that’s coming later this year.

        Reply

  12. Ryanza

    June 19, 2014 at 11:54

    E3 2014 The Witcher 3 on the Xbox One was running at 900p 30fps.
    CD Projekt Red has said that the PS4 runs at 1080p 30fps.

    So if they can’t get the Xbox One to run The Witcher 3 at 1080p by now, I don’t think it’s going to happen. But CD Projekt Red is trying to aim for 1080p 30fps.

    Support DRM FREE games on the PC is what this comment is saying.

    Reply

  13. Sageville

    June 19, 2014 at 12:32

    GODS-TEETH batman! This is something I needs already!

    Reply

  14. Ryanza

    June 19, 2014 at 12:53

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