Witcher 3: Open World, Non-Linear, Beard

You know a developer's really made it when they arrange an exclusive cover feature with GameStop's loyalty card-flogging magazine Game Informer. CD Projekt RED are the latest to do the whole de facto scoop thing, revealing the already-teased The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Aka, 2014's most exciting RPG, it rather sounds like.

AND GERALT HAS A BEARD NOW.

Much of what will be in GI has been scanned and summarised in that forever tawdry way, so I shall do my best to avoid doing much or any of that. Fortunately, GI have put out a trailer for the various stuff they'll be lobbing online over the next month, from which we can glean that The Witcher 3 will be an open-world game, with a more personal story, monster-hunting and the determination to take on the likes of Skyrim and Dragon Age.

What I've read - I couldn't help it! - claims this will be a true open world game, with no loading and much more branching, freeform progression that isn't a story split into defined chapters, as were the previous two Witchers. It's hard not to think Elder Scrolls, and then harder still not to think about how Witcher 2's many excellent aspects really could outdo Skyrim if CDP get it right.

We'll have more as more info is released in a way that doesn't involve summarising summaries on forums.