The Witcher 2 Xbox 360 release delayed for functional and legal reasons

By Adam Rosenberg Published August 1, 2011

the-witcher-2-assassins-of-kings — Image used with permission by copyright holder

CD Projekt RED’s role-playing game The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings was greeted warmly by critics when it was released earlier this year for PCs. An Xbox 360 version is coming as well, though it’s now been pushed back beyond the originally planned holiday 2011 release into Q1 2012.

The developer lays out the reasons for the delay in a press release, starting with the console port’s need for additional polish. Wait though… it’s not actually a port, but rather an “adaptation.” As such, a bit more work is required to get the game running on a 360. CD Project RED president Adam Kicinski said in a statement, “The extra time will allow us to polish the title to perfection, so that the game offers an ideally balanced, fantastic experience to gamers. As the launch of the game approaches, we will be sharing more details how it will be released on Xbox 360.”

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The press release also points to the developer’s ongoing legal battle with Namco Bandai. There is apparently some disagreement over how distribution of the Xbox 360 version of the game will be handled in Western Europe, Asia-Pacific and Central/South America. Namco handled the PAL distribution of the PC version, but THQ is currently listed as the publisher for that region.

Former Gaming/Movies Editor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

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