'The Witcher' Goes Gold
Highly Anticipated PC Role-Playing Game On Track for October 26 European Launch
LYON, FRANCE - 18 October 2007 - Atari announced today that The Witcher has gone gold and is on schedule for European launch on October 26. Developed by CD Projekt RED, The Witcher will be available exclusively for Windows.
The Witcher transcends traditional fantasy role-playing by throwing players into a unique fantasy world rife with modern social issues where the line between good and evil is blurred and every decision can have profound consequences. Based on the fictional world created by best-selling Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher casts the player as Geralt, a legendary monster slayer and master swordfighter with supernatural abilities and reflexes.
"The Witcher is an exceptional role-playing game which further cements Atari's reputation in bringing the highest quality role-playing experiences to gamers," said Mathias Hautefort, Executive Vice President of publishing and production, Atari. "Working hand in hand with independent development studio CD Projekt RED, the result sets a new standard for games in the genre."
"Creating The Witcher was a huge challenge, but also an adventure. Our task was to create a game with an incredibly involving story and a credible world - a role-playing Game that we ourselves would like to play," said Michał Kiciński, CD Projekt Joint CEO. "We approached this task with no compromises. Thanks to that The Witcher is not just another RPG. It's a piece of work that in many respects changes and extends the typical canon of such games. It's quite a brave approach, however I believe that thanks to that attitude 'The Witcher' will bring much freshness into the genre and, of course, will give the players all around the world lots of joy and positive emotions. And we couldn't have asked for a better publishing partner than Atari. We're very happy that The Witcher will join Atari's stable of fantastic role-playing games."
The Witcher presents a fresh approach to traditional role-playing, blending an expansive, twisting plotline - in which the impact of individual decisions can drastically alter the later outcome of the game - and fast-paced, spectacular combat combining swordplay and magic against a myriad of foes, human and otherwise. With highly detailed graphics, countless motion-capture animations and spectacular visual effects, The Witcher delivers brutal action, deep role-playing options and an intriguing story which will enthrall any player who dares to take on the formidable role of Geralt.
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.
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About CD Projekt
Founded in 1994, CD Projekt is one of Eastern Europe's largest game distributors, with offices in Warsaw, Prague and Budapest. The company specializes in localization and publishing role-playing games, having brought such hits as Baldur's Gate, Diablo, Neverwinter Nights and The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind to the Polish market. In September 2003, the company's development branch, CD Projekt RED, announced its first internally developed game, The Witcher®. More information about CD Projekt can be found online at www.cdprojekt.com.
About Infogrames Entertainment and Atari:
Infogrames Entertainment (IESA), the parent company of the Atari Group, is listed on the Paris Euronext stock exchange (ISIN code: FR-0000052573) and has two principal subsidiaries: Atari Europe, a privately-held company, and Atari, Inc., a United States corporation listed on NASDAQ (ATAR).
The Atari Group is an international producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment software for all market segments and in all existing game formats (Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony) and on CD-ROM for PC. Its games are sold in more than 60 countries.
The Atari Group's extensive catalogue of popular games is based on original franchises (Alone in the Dark, V-Rally, Test Drive, etc.) and international licenses (Dragon Ball Z, Dungeons & Dragons, etc.).
For more information: http://www.atari.com
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