How About A Round Of Gwent? But Not Til October
delayed beta for Witcher 3 card game spin-off
The breakout star of The Witcher 3 was in-world card game Gwent [official site], which proved so beloved that a full, free-to-play standalone spin-off was greenlit. It includes, of course, the all-important multiplayer mode, which The Witcher 3's strictly vs AI version lacked. Our Adam declared nu-Gwent to be "one of the best games at E3" when he had a fiddle with an early build back in June, and I do trust that boy's taste (I'm only saying that because he's away at the moment so won't read this). CD Projekt planned to release a beta next month, but sadly it's slipped.
The due date is now 25th October, and the reason given is simple embettering. Say CDP: "Unfortunately, we feel we need some extra time with the game before we hand it off to you for testing. We know we can make a first impression only once, and want to be sure everything is ready before we blast off.
"Delivering a good game is more important to us than keeping a deadline. Still, that doesn't mean we don't realise that delays can be disappointing, and we apologise for making you wait."
Not a huge wait, and hey, perhaps playing Gwent in chilly October as opposed to warm September will feel only more appropriate. Drag your laptop to a wood-panelled pub with an open fire and get into spirit of things.
You can sign up for Gwent's beta now.