[Update: More Details] The Witcher 3's Gwent Goes Standalone, Beta In September

CD Project Red announced today that The Witcher 3's in-game card game will be getting a standalone edition later this year. The game is described as follows.

In GWENT, you’ll clash with your friends in fast-paced duels that combine bluffing, on-the-fly decision making and careful deck construction. The game is played over a best-of-three series of rounds, as players unleash their hand by slinging spells and diverse units with special abilities and use clever tricks to deceive their opponents.

For those of you who have yet to play The Witcher 3, the best comparison I can draw for Gwent is that it's sort of like The Witcher 3's Triple Triad. It's the iconic card game that is played throughout the game, with new cards found along your journey. It's a card game that fans enjoyed so much that some made a web version of it before they were told they weren't allowed to host it and even their source code repository was taken down. Now, it will be an official competitive card game run by CD Projekt Red.

CD Projekt Co-founder Marcin Iwiński had the following to say about the announcement.

I would like to thank all the fans for supercharging us to make standalone GWENT happen. Thousands of e-mails in dozens of languages coming from all around the world, the phone calls, the forum posts, and more than 40 fan made versions – all this, and everything in between, didn’t go unnoticed. Yes, we were mysteriously quiet after the launch of The Witcher 3, but during all this time we were hard at work on what we just unveiled today – GWENT: The Witcher Card Game. We’ve taken all that heart and energy you gave us and put it into GWENT,” continues Iwiński. "If you enjoyed GWENT in The Witcher 3, I think I don’t have to convince you to sign-up for beta. If you hadn’t tried it yet, there’s no better time. Go register, play the beta for free starting from September and share your feedback with us. Tell us what you like, and what you don’t. Tell us what we should change or improve. We made this game for you, so let’s shape it together.

From Iwiński's statement, we can glean that the game's Beta will be starting in September. You can already sign up for it on the official website if you are so inclined.

Update: Since the time of posting, more details have been announced via press release. They are as follows.

WELCOME TO GWENT - Deck Building
Become a master cardsmith and battle friends from around the world!

• Pick your side -- command 5 different factions: the mighty Nilfgaardian Empire, proud Skellige, brutal Monsters, cunning Northern Realms or shadowy Scoia’tael.
• Build your deck -- collect new cards and deploy armies full of versatile units, unique heroes and rule-flipping cards that summon fog to blind your opponent’s archers or call down dragon fire to destroy their strongest units.
• Craft new cards -- break down unwanted cards and craft new ones to build an ever-evolving deck.

BLUFF YOUR WAY TO VICTORY - Rules & Tricks
If you can’t overpower your enemy, make sure you know how to outsmart them!

• Force their hand -- with limited cards per game, lure your opponent into draining their resources!
• Lose the battle, win the war -- win the entire game by learning how to cleverly lose a round.
• Hold the line -- play your cards across three rows, infantry, ranged and siege, and build a formation to counter your opponent’s strategy.

BRING YOUR ARMY TO THE TABLE - Game Modes
Embark on a story-driven single player journey, or just play online for fun, fame and glory!

• Story Campaign -- lead mighty armies during prominent events straight from The Witcher universe.
• Friendly Matches -- test your deck, try out new strategies, or just show off your collection of rare, animated cards.
• Ranked Matches -- rise through player-driven divisions and advance to the Pro League.