'The Witness' PS4, Xbox One Release Date: Game Rated for Xbox One, Arriving Soon? [Report]

• comments
• 
• 

A rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board or ESRB for the exploration-puzzle video game "The Witness" has led some people to believe that the game may be available for Xbox One consoles soon. We have all the release details here, including info on the game and its voice cast.

According to the game's official website, "The Witness" will be launched for the PlayStation 4 and PC platforms on Jan. 26. The game will be released for the iOS and other platforms in the coming months.

It appears that the Xbox One is included under the "other platforms" category. If so, then why is there an ESRB rating for the Microsoft console?

Thekla Inc.'s president Jonathan Blow recently spoke to Polygon explaining why the game developer has submitted the game for ratings from the software rating board.

"We only put XB1 on there because it doesn't cost anything, and if we were to want to do an XB1 version later, we don't have to go through ratings again," Blow told reporters. "But it is totally provisional, we have no plans for an XB1 version right now."

It appears Xbox One owners will have to wait longer before the game will be made available for the console if they decide to make one at all.

Although this bit of news may have disappointed Xbox gamers, Blow has promised that "The Witness" will be unlike any other puzzle game created before. In a report by PlayStation Lifestyle, Blow has hinted about the game's non-traditional use of the characters' voices.

"The Witness deliberately riffs on several traditional elements of game design, and one of those elements is the classic audio log, where you are wandering along and you find a recording that was placed there by someone before," Blow wrote on the PlayStation Blog. "When you first encounter them you won't find much in the way of answers, but, if you keep looking, you will eventually be able to piece together what's going on."

A list of the game's voice actors has been revealed on the Gematsu website. According to the source, the cast includes:

Ashley Johnson - voiced Ellie on "The Last of Us," and Jenny on "InFAMOUS: First Light"

Matthew Waterson - the man behind Vigil on "Fallout 4," and Captain Wallace on "Halo 5: Guardians"

Phil LaMarr - voiced Hermes on "Futurama," and Ratbag on "Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor"

Terra Deva - an experienced talent on the Mickey Mouse Club