The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is the sequel to The Witcher, developed by CD Projekt RED. Before Assassins of Kings was officially announced, a video showing the game was leaked on 16 September 2009. On September 18, 2009, CD Projekt Red officially confirmed that the game is in development for PC. They have also stated that they will likely release console versions of the game once development for the PC version is complete and a publisher has been found. While the game is being published by CD Projekt itself in Central Europe, distribution in North America will be handled by Atari, and in Russia by 1C Company.

Development
Originally, CD Projekt Red had planned to release an expansion to The Witcher so named, Rise of the White Wolf, where 'White Wolf' referred to the protagonist, Geralt of Rivia (see The Witcher article for details). The expansion was later scrapped and any news of a new game was not evident. Later, a leaked video, tagged "confidential" started streaming in the internet with the title, Assassins of Kings. A few months later CD Projekt Red finally acknowledged the production of the sequel, named, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.

For the sequel, CD Projekt had developed their own engine this time, unlike the first instalment, which used Bioware's modified Aurora Engine. Till now, only select areas of the game have been shown using the engine with the developers highlighting the various evolutions they have had to make. Along with the engine, the developers have changed the combat system. Although it has not yet been publicly displayed as to how it has been changed, but various gaming sites like IGN have informed that the combat is no longer like that of the first installment, which used timed-mouse combat system.

CD Projekt Red has also made clear in their developer's diary that the sequel will be tad shorter than that of the first game.

On March 25, 2010, the first gameplay video was shown to the audience. This gameplay footage showed the various methods that the player could use to complete the very same level. The demo at GamesCom 2010 also showed many different levels and characters for the first time. It has also been rumored that the game has 16 different endings. The game still retains its signature delayed-consequence system, which made the first instalment the highlight in RPG gaming.

In 2011, CD Projekt cited Demon's Souls, along with Heavy Rain and Batman: Arkham Asylum, as influences on The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.