A video showing Assassins of Kings was leaked on 16 September 2009,
before the game was officially announced. According to CD Projekt, the
video was intended for potential publishers, and had been created about
six months before it was leaked. It was made using a "very early alpha
version" of the game, and voices were provided by CD Projekt staff
members rather than the final actors. CD Projekt published a short FAQ
in response to the leak, but said that apart from that, they did "not
plan any materials to be released soon". The game itself was said to be
"still deeply in the development stage", and people should "not expect
the game too soon".
The game was announced officially on 24 March 2010, with a number of
articles and videos appearing. A two-minute trailer was released on
GameTrailers, and articles (with accompanying video and screenshots)
have been released in English, Polish, and Russian.
The official CDPR forum was launched on March 23, 2010 along with the official trailer. An official website followed in April.
The platforms on which the game will be released have been confirmed for
PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. The PC version will arrive first in May
2011. The console versions are TBA.
According to previews:
- Quote :
-The game features timed conversations, with a default response being
used if players do not choose an option within a certain length of time.
Players are not presented with the full, exact line that Geralt will
deliver, instead choosing from among short summaries.
-The combat system has been reworked, being "much more open-ended" and
which "will no longer require the timed input of the original game".
-The "sex cards" are not returning, although Geralt still has opportunities for encounters. These will involve cutscenes.
-According to a Polish preview, it will be possible to import saved
games from the first game, although the exact mechanics of this system
have not been detailed yet.
-Fighting alongside companions will receive greater emphasis, although
they will still act autonomously rather than be under the control of the
player. How players relate to these companions (both in conversations
and elsewhere) can open up quests and affect the game's ending.
-Meditation can now be done anywhere, provided there are no enemies nearby to prevent it.
-Geralt can now climb over walls and other such obstacles.