More good news for Witcher fans in Australia: not only will The Witcher 2 be censored in your country but you’re going to have to pay more for it, too.
We found out yesterday, to nobody’s great surprise, that The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings will be slightly toned down for the Australian market, in that you won’t be able to choose sex as a quest reward. [On the upside, you’ll apparently still be able to have lots of sex just for fun.] Today we discovered another little tidbit of happiness: the game is going to cost more than originally expected, too.
GOG revealed earlier today that because of “licensing reasons,” the price of The Witcher 2 available through GOG.com is jumping from $42.27 Australian ($45.55) to $69.99 ($75.39), with a ten percent break for preorders that will drop it to $62.99 ($67.85). According to the GOG Facebook page, its pricing policy was in violation of legal agreements with other Australian distributors, forcing it to kick up the cost.
Fortunately, the guys at GOG are a stand-up bunch and they’re doing what they can to soften the blow. It’s too late now to preorder at the original price but its “Fair Price Package” is being extended to Australian customers, giving them a $26 U.S. credit to use on the site. That could easily add up to another four or five games and possibly more if you happen to catch a sale.
I don’t know why Australia always seems to get the short end of the stick in these deals. You can only blame a dysfunctional rating system for so much, after all, and while it’s not the most conveniently-located continent on the planet, I would think that digital distribution would make that almost entirely a non-factor. So what’s the deal?
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings comes out worldwide on May 17, exclusively for the PC.
Published: May 6, 2011 03:37 pm