Witcher series sales hit 5 million

The Witcher developer CD Projekt Red announced today that the role-playing game series has now sold more than 5 million copies, up from 4 million last summer.

According to company CEO Adam Kicinski, the 2012 Xbox 360 debut of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings was a major contributor to the increased sales.

Sales could have been even higher. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings has been illegally downloaded 4.5 million times, according to CD Projekt Red, and the company has stopped pursuing pirates.

To celebrate the new sales milestone, CD Projekt Red has dropped the price of The Witcher 2 on the Xbox 360 to $30. In addition, The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director's Cut ($5) and The Witcher 2 ($10) are 50 percent off through GOG and Steam until February 8.

CD Projekt Red yesterday officially announced The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The third and final episode in Geralt of Rivia's story, the open-world game is 30 times larger than The Witcher 2 and is due out in 2014 for unspecified "high-end" platforms.