Witcher 3 Getting 16 Free DLC Packs

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt developer CD Projekt Red today announced a free DLC program for the 2015 role-playing game, and it does not disappoint. The studio will release a whopping 16 add-on packs for the RPG, all of which will be completely free, and are not tied to any platform.

The first bundle of DLC expansions for The Witcher 3 will be released on February 25, a day after the game's public release. This content will come in the form of the Temerian Armor Set (includes horse armor) and the Beard and Hairstyle Set for main character Geralt.

After February 25, DLC bundles featuring two expansions will be released every week. Other content will include more quests and personalization options. CD Projekt Red has also released a Q&A about the free Witcher 3 DLC, which should clear up any questions you might have. You can read the full Q&A below.

You might be wondering why CD Projekt Red is giving away all the DLC instead of charging for it like so many other publishers do. CD Projekt Red co-founder Marcin Iwinski explains in an open letter to fans that offering free DLC is unfortunately "quite rare these days."

"As gamers, we nowadays have to hold on tight to our wallets, as surprisingly right after release, lots of tiny pieces of tempting content materialize with a steep price tag attached. Haven't we just paid a lot of cash for a brand new game?" he says.

"As CD Projekt Red, we strongly believe this is not the way it should work and, with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, we have decided to do it differently," he added. "This is our way of saying thank you for buying our game."

The Witcher 3 launches February 24 across Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

Here's the letter from their website:

Spoiler

Open Letter from Marcin Iwiński, co-founder and Joint CEO of CD PROJEKT RED.

“We love games. We love collecting them, playing them, and everything connected to that experience. Every time we reach out for a new release, we expect to be taken care of. We expect support if we encounter any problems, we love updates constantly improving the experience, and we feel really special when we receive free content that gives us more than we initially paid for. It doesn’t have to be huge, it can be an awesome skin for a character, or an extra sword, or armor.

Unfortunately this treatment is quite rare these days. As gamers, we nowadays have to hold on tight to our wallets, as surprisingly right after release, lots of tiny pieces of tempting content materialize with a steep price tag attached. Haven’t we just paid a lot of cash for a brand new game?

As CD PROJEKT RED, we strongly believe this is not the way it should work and, with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, we have decided to do it differently. Cutting to the chase, everyone who buys Wild Hunt will receive 16 specially prepared DLCs absolutely for free, regardless of platform. You don’t have to pre-order, you don’t have to buy any special edition to get them -- if you own a copy of Wild Hunt, they’re yours. This is our way of saying thank you for buying our game.”

Regards,
Marcin

Q&A

What do I have to do to receive the 16 free DLCs?
A: The only thing you need to do to receive the 16 DLCs is purchase The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. All of the DLCs will be available for free on every platform (i.e. Xbox One, PC, and PlayStation 4).

Q: Do I have to pre-order to get the free DLCs?
A: No, each piece of content will be available for download regardless of you buying the game before or after launch on February 24th, 2015.

Q: I have the standard version of the game (i.e. not the Collector’s Edition). Do I still get the free DLCs?
A: Yes. You get the 16 DLCs regardless of the version of the game you bought (i.e. standard or Collector's, digital or physical).

Q: What’s the plan? When can I expect the DLCs to be released?
A: The plan is to release a new DLC bundle (each bundle contains two DLCs) on a weekly basis, following the game’s launch February 24th, 2015. The first DLC bundle will be released the next day on February 25th. The next bundle will be available for download a week after that, on March 4th, the next on March 11th, and so on. The first bundle will contain the Temerian Armor Set and a Beard and Hairstyle Set for Geralt. The second bundle will contain an additional quest and an alternative look for one of the game’s main characters -- Yennefer of Vengerberg.

Source: Gamespot