‘The Witcher’ Free AR Game Is Coming to Let You Hunt Down Monsters a la ‘Pokémon Go’
Toss a coin to your smartphone: A new mobile game set in “The Witcher” fantasy universe is in development, in which players encounter deadly beasts in the world around them — and, of course, must kill them in creative ways.
“The Witcher: Monster Slayer” is a free-to-play augmented reality and location-based role-playing game. The first-person RPG lets players assume the guise of a “witcher” monster-killer. With its AR and GPS-based gameplay, the title is similar to Niantic Labs’ pioneering “Pokémon Go” mobile game.
The new game is being developed and will be published by Spokko, a studio that is part of CD Projekt Red, the Poland-based company behind the original “Witcher” series of games. “The Witcher: Monster Slayer” takes place before the events of “The Witcher” books and games.
“The Witcher” has blossomed into a multimedia franchise, including the popular Netflix series starring Henry Cavill as the legendary witcher Geralt of Rivia. Season 2 of “The Witcher” is in production, while a limited-series prequel also is in the works for the streamer.
“Foul creatures roam the Continent — it’s your job to become the monster slayer, track prey lurking nearby and take them down with your sword in augmented reality!” Spokko says in the teaser trailer released for the AR game.
The forthcoming game will feature “console-grade visuals,” Spokko promises. Players will have to figure out how to use time of day and local weather conditions to gain the upper hand in tracking and killing monsters, as well as “brew powerful potions and oils, craft bombs and monster bait.” “The Witcher: Monster Slayer” also will feature “story-driven quests” inspired by other games from the series, according to the game developer.
Launch dates for game, which will be available on Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android, will be announced later this year. The studio will post updates to the official “The Witcher: Monster Slayer” website (at this link).
Last year, CD Projekt Red reached a settlement with Andrzej Sapkowski, the author of the original “Witcher” (“Wiedźmin”) books and short stories on which the games and Netflix series are based, after Sapkowski took legal action to demand additional royalties from the games company.
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