Namco Bandai wins Witcher 2 publishing dispute

European publishing rights for the upcoming Xbox 360 version of CD Projekt RED's The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings have been at the center of a long legal dispute. Back in July, Namco Bandai had launched a dispute against Optimus SA (CD Projekt's parent company), claiming that it has secured the rights to publishing the game in Europe. The developer later announced that the game would be distributed by THQ.

The dispute has been settled, with a French court awarding publishing rights back to Namco Bandai.

This dispute over publishing rights was a significant factor in The Witcher 2 console release being delayed into the first quarter of 2012. Now that the issue of rights has been resolved, CD Projekt has been given fifteen days to provide Namco Bandai with an Xbox 360 publishing agreement for the territories in question, or face a fine of €15,000 every day until the company complies.

CD Projekt CEO Marcin Iwinski told Polish news site Parkiet (via Edge) that he was "not satisfied" with the verdict, but was relieved the dispute is over.

Once the dust clears up, CD Projekt will likely set a date for its long-delayed port. The North American version, published by Warner Bros. is scheduled for release some time "early next year."