CD Projekt Red has just revealed that its previously announced Witcher spinoff game is a prequel named Gwent: Rogue Mage, and that it is releasing tomorrow. Fans were first introduced to the Gwent card game in 2017’s blockbuster hit The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, where it served as an amusing side activity for rugged protagonist Geralt of Rivia between monster-slaying sidequests in a similar vein to the original Witcher’s dice poker. The game-within-a-game tasks players with building a deck from five different card factions with unique skills to defeat their opponent's army and collect valuable Orins.
Gwent’s popularity wouldn’t go unnoticed by CD Projekt Red, as it later released an expanded, standalone version of The Witcher 3’s pastime in the form of GWENT: The Witcher Card Game - first as a console title in 2018 with a mobile port launching the following year. 2018 also saw the release of Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales, an RPG spin-off that served as a narrative-based single-player experience that supplemented CDPR’s Witcher universe by putting players in the role of Queen Meve. More Gwent action was announced by CDPR in late January in the form of a brand-new spin-off that was tentatively codenamed Project Golden Nekker, which the developer touted as a “captivating single-player experience" Not much else was revealed about this new Gwent-centric project, save that it would bear no connection to the aforementioned Thronebreaker and would likely only be released on PC.
More details surrounding this upcoming Gwent spin-off have been unveiled by CD Projekt Red and IGN, who have just announced that its official title is Gwent: Rogue Mage - and that it will launch on PC, iOS, and Android tomorrow. Billed as a single-player roguelike experience, Rogue Mage will retain Gwent’s core gameplay mechanics, though it will be sold separately from the multiplayer GWENT: The Witcher Card Game. Players will control established Witcher characters like Dandelion, Zoltan, and Yennefer and start each round of Rogue Mage with a dozen cards focused around a singular theme or gameplay mechanic. They can then unlock more cards by exploring the game’s map and earn experience that gives them access to stronger options with each run. Gwent: Rogue Mage director Vladimir Tortsov says that it should take the average player upwards of 30 hours to collect and do everything the game has to offer and that he and his team were inspired by the many players who wanted "a more PvE experience from Gwent.”
Many fans have been left wanting more mainline Witcher content since The Witcher 3 was released to near-universal acclaim in 2015, and CD Projekt Red recently confirmed that the long-awaited Witcher 4 is currently in development. Very little has been revealed about this new adventure, save that it is being built in Unreal Engine 5 and will mark the beginning of a brand-new “saga” within the Witcher series. Additionally, a PS5/Xbox Series upgrade for The Witcher 3 is set to release sometime next year after several delays.
In the meantime, fans will be able to pass the time with the brand-new spin-off Gwent: Rogue Mage, which is launching tomorrow for PC and compatible mobile devices. Gwent has proven to be a popular game in and of itself, and this latest single-player experience looks to blend the mix-and-match strategy of the base game with a gripping RPG roguelike format that will likely build upon the already rich universe of The Witcher. The standard version of Gwent: Rogue Mage will be available for $9.99, with a premium edition that contains extra in-game skins, cosmetics, and card packs for the multiplayer version of Gwent will cost $19.99.
Source: IGN