The Witcher: 'Rogue Mage' Prequel Announced By CD Projekt RED

CD Projekt RED has announced a brand-new Witcher prequel, set hundreds of years of years before Geralt Of Rivia ever took up his swords and set out on The Path.

While this obviously isn't the brand-new Witcher RPG that CDPR confirmed was in development earlier this year (that's still a long way off), this new game should tide hardcore fans over for a time. In fact, it's actually available to download right now.

Check out why Ciri should be the star of The Witcher 4 below!

Gwent: Rogue Mage is a brand-new deckbuilding roguelike based on the incredibly popular Gwent minigame that blew up in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt before getting its own official spinoff back in 2017.

Rogue Mage is basically a single-player expansion for the traditionally multiplayer Gwent, but is still being made available as a standalone purchase. The game is currently available on PC, Android, and iOS for £9.99, but you can also nab a premium edition for £20 that comes with exclusive cards, skins, and other cosmetics for the multiplayer.

Rogue Mage director Vladimir Tortsov told IGN that the game was inspired by CDPR realising that "there are a significant number of players who want a more PvE experience from Gwent".

He added: "While Gwent multiplayer is a fantastic game for those who are looking for a great PvP multiplayer experience, we perfectly understand that many Witcher players loved the original mini-game of Gwent for totally different reasons. With Rogue Mage we aim to give this audience a reason to play modern-day Gwent in the format they prefer."

While Rogue Mage is being billed as a prequel in which the titular mage (named Alzur) attempts to create the very first Witcher, Tortsov insists that gameplay was the focus over narrative for this particular experience. In other words, don't go expecting a huge Witcher story in this 30-hour adventure, but prepare to enjoy plenty of Gwent.