Witcher 3 Dev Talks Free DLC

Late last year, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt developer CD Projekt Red announced that it plans to release 16 free expansions for the open-world role-playing game. But why not charge for this content?

"Because people just paid full price for our game," CD Projekt Red co-founder and joint CEO Marcin Iwinski said in an interview with IGN. "We owe them."

Iwinski went on to say that he thinks CD Projekt Red is "making a statement" with its approach to free DLC, but at the same time pointed out that the 16 free Witcher 3 add-ons aren't of the large variety.

"We, as gamers, would like to be treated this way, 'Hey, give me free DLC.' It doesn't have to be something huge," he explained. "And I'm saying we aren't giving out huge stuff, we aren't giving tens of hours of storyline here; we are giving small bits of pieces that don't cost a lot. And I think people would feel better about our game, and so, they will enjoy the adventure even more."

Iwinski also says that CD Projekt Red's approach to The Witcher 3 DLC could lead to fewer pirated copies of the game being pirated or people hanging onto the game instead of trading it in.

"And maybe the ones who thought about pirating would not pirate it," he said. "Maybe the ones who wanted to trade it back and get something else will keep it on the shelf. That'd be great--I would like this to happen and if not that's fine as well. I hope they'll have fun."

The first bundle of DLC for The Witcher 3 will be released later this year. This content will come in the form of the Temerian Armor Set (horse armor) and the Beard and Hairstyle Set for main character Geralt.

Following The Witcher 3's first add-on, DLC bundles featuring two expansions will be released every week thereafter. Other content will include more quests and personalization options.

"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?" Iwinski said back in November 2014.

"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 at the time. "This is our way of saying thank you for buying our game."

For more on The Witcher 3, which launches May 19 across Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, check out the video above and GameSpot's hands-on preview.