CDProjekt RED shows off modding tools for The Witcher 2 at Gamescom

One of last year’s most popular and visually breathtaking games, The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings has constantly been getting updates from developer CDProjekt RED. This year, the game had received a free update with brand new features, along with a re-release that has all the updates pre-installed called The Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition. CDProjekt RED doesn’t want to stop there. The developers will be showing off the new mod development kit for the game this Gamescom. The development kit will be called the REDkit.

The modding kit will allow enthusiasts to create new content for the game, thus extending the game’s life considerably.  According to CDProjekt RED, the REDkit will “allow any player to create their own content for the PC version of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, such as new, non-linear adventures, great looking locations and much more”.

The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings is the sequel to The Witcher, set in universe of The Witcher series of novels. Released on May 17, 2011, it brought with it a brand new game engine with shinier graphics and new game mechanics. Its plot starts with an assassination of a king, which is then blamed on the protagonist Geralt of Rivia. The game follows the story of Geralt as he tries to clear his name, and find and bring the real Kingslayer to justice. He encounters many former comrades on his journey, but soon enough he starts to suspect that all is not as it seems, as he is once again drawn into the political schemings, where everyone seems to be working their own angle. The series handles fantasy in a more dark and realistic way, more like Game of Thrones than Lord of the Rings.

Getting modding tools!

In an interview with VG247, Konrad Tomaszkiewicz of CDProjekt RED said that gamers shouldn’t be paying for post-release digital content, given their bite-sized nature, “We’ve always believed in free DLCs. The thing is that we consider DLCs as a normal post sale service, which shouldn’t be priced. Back when retail games were dominant, we had expansion packs. These were really large chunks of content which were worth their price”.

“If today’s DLCs offered the same amount of content,” Tomaszkiewicz continued, “they would be worth paying for, but in most cases players think they are overcharged for what they receive. That’s why we offer expansions to our game for free. This is also a way of saying “thank you” to the people who decided to buy our game instead of copying it from an unauthorised source”.

Modding is one of the best ways to enhance a PC game’s life. One of the best examples of such a game would be The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. The game was released in 2002 for the PC and Xbox. It is played to this day on the PC because of the mammoth amounts of content that modders have added into the game, such as new storylines, new classes and new houses. Another great example of a game benefiting from modding is Counter-Strike, which started off as a mod for Half-Life. Games such as League of Legends would never have existed if Warcraft III didn’t support mods such as the original DotA.

The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings Enhanced Edition is available on Steam and Gog.com for $39.99 (Around Rs. 2,200).