The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

LYON, FRANCE – 18th November 2010 – NAMCO BANDAI Partners S.A.S, one of the leading video game publishers and development studio CD Projekt RED announced today details on The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings editions available on May 17th 2011 and on exclusive DLC items for customers who pre-order from participating retailers.

Next May fans will have the chance to lay their hands on two of the most attractive editions which have ever been available for PC games. The “Premium Edition” represents the standard version available to customers for an extemely limited time from launch. In this edition gamers will find everything they need to get fully immersed into the world of The Witcher. This includes a Making-Of DVD, the game’s Soundtrack (OST), a printed map of the world, a game guide, a physical pamphlet and a coin – representing yet to be revealed parts of the game – and two of the highly praised papercraft figurines.

True fans however will be itching to get their hands on the limited “Collectors’ Edition” which is a beast of a box-set! Within, customers will find everything included in the “Premium Edition” plus a 200 page artbook, the infamous dice poker set (5 pcs.), a set of playing cards, a “how-to cheat guide” for dice and card games, three stickers to customise your belongings, an exclusive papercraft figurine (including Draug – one of the deadliest creatures in game), a real Temerian Oren – very handy if you ever happen to visit the kingdom of Temeria, an ultra-realistic head sculpture of Geralt and exclusive DLC which can be only found in this edition: the “Roche Commando Jacket” (boosts Geralt’s sword fighting skills and is one of the best items within the game). The “Collectors’ Edition” will be exclusively available to customers who pre-order online at retailers, including Play.com, Amazon.co.uk, Game.co.uk and HMV.com.

Customers pre-ordering either edition of the game will have the choice of different and highly valuable in game items (DLC):

·         Finisher Pack: This pack contains additional finishing move animations which were especially motion captured and additional advanced fighting techniques. Available via pre-order at thehut.com and Gamestop (for Irish customers).

·         Mysterious Merchant: In each chapter you’ll find a shady tradesperson offering unique items which usually can’t be bought in-game. Available via pre-order at GAME and Game.co.uk.

·         Ultimate Alchemy Suit: THE ultimate suit for every player focusing on alchemy. It contains unique items, increases the loot output and extends the duration of potions. Available via pre-order at HMV and HMV.com.

·         Ultimate Magical Suit: If players focus on spells and magic this would be their DLC of choice. Contains a unique set of items, enhances the new sixth magical sign and boosts the effectiveness of all other signs. Available via pre-order at Play.com.

·         Ultimate Swordsman Suit: The art of sword fighting is led to new heights with this pack. Like the other suits it contains a set of unique items but also boosts the sword fighting statistics as well as increases the chance for triggering rare effects in combat. Available via pre-order at Amazon.co.uk.

The second installment in the RPG saga about the Witcher, Geralt of Rivia, features a thoroughly engrossing, mature storyline defining new standards for thought-provoking, non-linear game narration. In addition to an epic story, the game features an original, brutal combat system that uniquely combines tactical elements with dynamic action. A new, modern game engine, responsible both for beautiful visuals and sophisticated game mechanics puts players in the most lively and believable world ever created in an RPG game. A captivating story, dynamic combat system, beautiful graphics, and everything else that made the original Witcher such a great game are now executed in a much more advanced and sophisticated way.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings will be available throughout Europe and the PAL Asia territories from May 17th 2011. Both editions can be pre-ordered now for an RRP of £34.99 (Premium Edition) and an RRP of £79.99 (Collector’s Edition).

For more information about The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, please visit www.thewitcher.com or follow Geralt on http://www.facebook.com/thewitcher. More information about NAMCO BANDAI Partners can be found at www.namcobandaigames.eu.

About NAMCO BANDAI Partners

NAMCO BANDAI Partners, one of the video game industry's leading distribution, marketing and sales companies,  is a wholly owned subsidiary of NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe with 16 dedicated offices operating in 50 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South America, Australasia, and south east Asia (Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea).  The company distributes and markets a broad catalogue of high quality interactive entertainment products for Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo gaming platforms and PC from NAMCO BANDAI Games, D3Publisher and other major video game publishers on an international and regional basis.  NAMCO BANDAI Partners is an independent business unit of the NAMCO BANDAI group of companies.

For more information about NAMCO BANDAI Partners and its products visit www.namcobandaigames.eu.

For media assets visit www.namcobandaipartners-press.com.

Press Release © 2010 NAMCO BANDAI Partners Europe S.A.S. All rights reserved.

About CD Projekt RED

CD Projekt RED was established in February 2002 as the sister company of CD Projekt. CD Projekt RED’s mission is to become the world’s leading RPG developer, producing games that combine the best trade practices with original ideas.

One of the company’s guiding principles is to remain in close touch with players, listening and responding to their opinions as they relate to the company’s games and the methods by which they are delivered to players. The studio’s first game was The Witcher, a title enthusiastically received by fans (who purchased over 1.5 million copies) that the professional media also showered with awards (over 100 distinctions). Currently, CD Projekt RED has a staff of almost 95 people working on The Witcher 2.

CD Projekt RED is part of the Optimus S.A., a publicly traded company listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (OPT). Aside of CD Projekt RED, Optimus group consists of: gog.com – an innovative world-wide digital distribution platform for PC classics and CD Projekt – leading games and DVD/Blu-Ray distributor operating on the Polish market.

THE WITCHER FRANCHISE

The release of The Witcher marked the arrival of a new brand on the video game market, a brand that has since gained a vast fan base and broad recognition in the industry. The game owes its success to its distinct art and styling, its unique fantasy setting, and its innovative approach to the RPG concept, all backed by engrossing and singular stories that stand above the relatively uninspired tales spun in other games.

Drawing on the prose of bestselling author A. Sapkowski has allowed us to create a highly original fantasy world that blends the modern with the archaic, explores complex problems and themes comprehensible to the contemporary mindset, and enjoys a significant chance of standing out from other offerings in the genre