CD Projekt RED's fantasy role-playing game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will be distributed by Namco Bandai Games in Europe, the company announced today.
Namco Bandai's European branch will handle all distribution and marketing for The Witcher 3, which will be published on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC. The list of countries Namco will take over publishing rights for includes the U.K. as well as Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Malta, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
In late 2011, Namco Bandai Europe won out in a legal dispute again CD Projekt Red parent company Optimus SA, in which the latter company offered distribution to THQ for The Witcher 2 in Europe, South America and Asia despite previous commitments to Namco Bandai. A court in Lyon, France ruled that Namco Bandai had distribution rights in these territories and was entitled to a new distribution contract.
"We've worked with Namco Bandai Games before, so our partners there know both The Witcher and the ideals that drive us as a studio," CD Projekt Red's head of studio Adam Badowski said in a press statement. "We're convinced that they understand our vision for the game and that they will do a great job at letting gamers know how the game's open world and great story are going to change the next-gen RPG landscape."
The original The Witcher launched in 2007 for Windows PC, with The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings following on Xbox 360 and Windows PC in 2011. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was announced in February of this year and is slated to launch in 2014. Check out Polygon's impressions of the game here.