'The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt' release date: retail copies available ahead of launch

"The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" is now available in the Middle East, as retailers are already selling the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions ahead of the scheduled release date. 

Days before its official release, rumors of the upcoming open world exploration and questing title being sold prematurely in the United Arab Emirates surface. In the official forums of developer CD Projekt Red, there was a healthy debate between hardcore "Witcher" fans on whether or not the game can be played earlier than its release date.

Now, with game footages being uploaded and leaked through various video sites like Twitch, it seems that the rumors are indeed true. 

To counter the threat of leakages, most of the live stream footages of players checking out the third instalment in "The Witcher" series have already been taken down, and video sharing sites such as Twitch have issued stern warnings for users who would still upload their game footages. 

However, this hasn't stopped avid gamers from sharing screen captures and images taken directly from a retail copy of the game. Game sites like Gearnuke even compared the leaked gameplay screenshots to those of the official press footages. 

Noticeably absent in official press releases is the Xbox One-grabbed shots. To check if the hype for the game is indeed solid, Gearnuke took some sample screenshots from an Xbox One gameplay leak and compared it againsnt the PC version released by the developer for the press. Checking side by side, it seems that the Xbox One version of the title is indeed maximizing the console's potential, as character rendering is superb and very detailed. 

"The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" is officially scheduled to be released on May 19 for the Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Windows PC. 

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