Witcher 3 Dev: Free DLC Should Be the Norm, Not the Exception

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's free DLC campaign wrapped up this week with the launch of the game's New Game Plus mode on Monday. In all, CD Projekt Red released 16 pieces of free content for the open-world game. Now, the Polish developer says it's hoping other studios will follow suit with similar campaigns to make free DLC become the norm across the industry, not the exception.

"I'd like to extend my thanks to all the gamers who played our game and gave these DLCs a try," CD Projekt Red co-founder and CEO Marcin Iwinski said in a statement. "Nothing makes a developer happier than seeing gamers have fun with what they created.

"I would really like to see such initiatives become an industry standard rather than an exception to the general rule, and I hope that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has set a good example," he added.

Most of The Witcher 3's 16 free add-ons aren't of the large variety, comprising things like character armor, alternate costumes, and some quests. But still, some publishers charge for similar items. As Iwinski explained before game's launch, CD Projekt Red offered this content to players for free "because people just paid full price for our game. We owe them."

CD Projekt Red does have plans for paid Witcher 3 DLC, too. In October, the developer will launch the Hearts of Stone expansion, while another add-on, called Blood and Wine, will be released in 2016. These expansions are significant, as together they will offer around 30 hours of new gameplay.

"If you sum up this 10 to 20 hours and you compare it to The Witcher 2, it's almost the size of The Witcher 2," CD Projekt Red said earlier this year. "And it will be cool; it will be new stories, it will be very emotional stories and I think that people will be happy."

In other recent news about The Witcher 3, CD Projekt Red has released official mod tools for the game. However, not everyone is happy with the available tools.