Before I get to talking about The Witcher 3 — which dominated much of the E3 coverage I read over the last week — I should mention this mod for The Witcher 2, which overhauls the game’s combat quite significantly. I know a few people (Rustic…you around?) have complained about said game’s combat; the mod may be of interest.

So, of course, E3 happened last week, and as a result we saw an explosion of coverage concerning The Witcher 3. New screenshots and concept art were published, an amazing gameplay trailer was released (which, as has become tradition for CD Projekt RED, contained a hidden message). A really cool dev diary video was also released.

The Witcher 3 will in fact be released for Xbox One (not exclusively, mind), although this has prompted some discussion about CDPR’s typical anti-DRM stance and how the Xbox One’s rather intrusive DRM scheme will impact the game. CDPR would like to find a “gamer-friendly solution” for The Witcher 3’s console releases, but they did also confirm that the PC release of the game will in fact be DRM-free. Oh, and it will also get free DLC…because, as CD Projekt RED explains, “the game counts…not the money“.

Naturally, the game was previewed to a number of gaming media outlets, and for the most part seems to have greatly impressed those that got to see it. It was also confirmed that The Witcher 3 will import save files from The Witcher 2, so expect that elements of its plot will depend on what you did in the previous game. The Witcher 3 will mark the end of Geralt’s role as the series’ main protagonist, although he may show up in future titles.

And yes, The Witcher 3 is still going to be huge, in terms of scope and the scale of its world. Hopefully, the story is able to match its physical expanse!

There were also a couple of interviews with CDPR staff that were published last week. You may all want to check those out.

Finally, it should be noted that CDPR is expanding, having just opened a second studio in Krakow, Poland. This studio will evidently focus on crafting the smaller games that the company alluded to in their recent annual report.