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CD PROJEKT RED is getting ready for the February 24th 2015 release of its open world RPG The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and in light of that, are unveiling plans for 16 free chunks of downloadable content.
The first two will release with the game: The Temerian Armor (including horse armor) and the Beard and Hairstyle Set for the game's hero, Geralt. Subsequent bundles will be released every week and will be available to all owners of the game, regardless of when the game is purchased.
For more information re: DLC bundles for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, visit the game's official website.
Comments
There was a time single player games actually shipped with their full content package. Wrapping it up into little bits they call 'DLC' doesn't make the product larger or better, neither does it make the developer look generous. It's just marketing buzz for stuff that should have been in the game as it shipped.
Oh well, dead horse etc.
True though one can argue that if their game wasn't so massively financially successful would they still be inclined to offer free download content.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
I agree that CDProjekt Red is one of the better game companies in many aspects to include their artists, game design, and devotion to their fan base. However, this particular thing though with free DLCs already announced for their line up just tells me that they want to make sure they hit their launch deadline by adding other smaller aesthetic bits in later that could have been in from launch. Does that make them underhanded or greedy? Of course not.
I was going to say, "just call it what it is", but they are. DLC (downloadable content). So I don't know. At least we won't have to pay extra for the same things other companies would be more than happy to charge for. I guess it makes sense not to push the game's release back just because of in-game ponytails, beards, and horse armor.
"If I offended you, you needed it" -Corey Taylor
Such a great PR trick!
Maybe other companies will do it aswell. Remove a few non-critial content from the game, label it as "Free DLC" then give it back over time and you're hailed as the best company ever!
Oh well, atleast they aren't asking you to pay for it like other companies.
If the game is being sold in a physical medium, it has to go to print at some point. It takes many months to print the boxes, stamp out the DVDs, print instruction manuals, assemble it all, ship it to warehouses, ship it to brick and mortar stores, etc. At some point you MUST stop developing for it so that all of this can happen. DLC allows you to continue development while all of this is going on. The new content is not included in the box, but you can download it. Hence, DownLoadable Content. Charging for it is something that publishers decide to do to make additional money.
Here is a case where the developer created the game, put it in the box, THEN decided to continue work on the game without asking for additional payments. That's pretty cool.
Exactly.
its all a publicity stunt. games release is 3 months out and they already know there will be 2 DLCs available day one and one a week every week after that?
Just means they are deliberately holding content out of the release even though its already made.
"People who tell you youre awesome are useless. No, dangerous.
They are worse than useless because you want to believe them. They will defend you against critiques that are valid. They will seduce you into believing you are done learning, or into thinking that your work is better than it actually is." ~Raph Koster
http://www.raphkoster.com/2013/10/14/on-getting-criticism/
Think it's cause EA did that because "DLC from day one on is what players want"
Their excuse for obvious and filthy greed.
Think these guys are just mocking EA and similar companies. PR or not - I respect this approach.
Love the company also but this is just marketing doublespeak.
Not sure there is anything to praise them about here. I still will buy The Witcher 3 since I consider it one of the best RPG series today.
Whereas I do agree with you, there was also a up to 10 gig day one patches that took hours and hours.
Basically with day one DLC's what is happening is they have sent the disks out to be burned ( gold ) and they kept building digital content while the game is being packaged for release. Once the game ships they push the digital dlc's which use to be day one patches.
yes.
Look at Activision and Ubisoft and all their heavily successful games, and they still pull crap on consumers and get away with it. And their games are far more popular than Witcher (popular isnt better IMO). Witcher games arent only successful because they are great games, it is also because CD Projekt Red respect their fans and consumers so the money they make on that game is well earned. Im happy to purchase a full priced Witcher game insted of a full priced half assed cash grab from EA, Ubi and their kin. A great example, Destiny (glad i only paid $38) thats enough for the amount of content it had at launch.
reread, I said "wasn't".
"Wasn't successful".
If their game "wasn't" successful would they still be inclined to give free dlc. I think they are great and it's great that they are giving free dlc but many times dlc really is to add to the bottom line. It's a mistake to assume that just because a game developers adds paid dlc that they are always "greedy".
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
nice...
Game not even launched and we have 16 "free" DLC's ... Cant wait for the next 16 probally one week after launch.
DLC = greedy . Prefer a big expasion like was in the past than this cancer ><
Patches are now called free DLC?
Do they really believe people can't see this for what it really is? Do they really think that poorly of their customers?
Pretty soon we'll have monthly DLC and they'll charge a small sum for it. Perhaps $14.99.
+1, and to Dakeru as well. Seems all the others have lent their sarcasm detector to Sheldon in TBBT...
It's just a small funny jab to games (and studios) using the late trend of paid, day-one DLCs. "Beard and Hairstyle DLC", c'mon guys, don't you see the joke here?
I hope the next letter will focus on being DRM-free, which also includes a nice offline save option, even in the city... (you know, the city called sim? lol)
edit: but of course it's great for marketing. Love these kinda ads, the last one I think was this good (funny, with a small jab, and also nicely built) was Rift's "Save a panda" campaign, when pandarens started to roll in. Loved that one
I can't think of a good RPG that didn't offer enough content for the money spent. DLC in most cases is small insignificant filler that really wouldn't make a difference being there or not. Even if it's a quest-line in DLC form, it's usually rather insignificant. Hence why I really don't care one way or the other. I just don't buy most of it, unless it comes with a GOTY edition of something i don't already own. it's merely aimed at those who must have it all.
I've also always found greed to be a rather redundant descriptor for corporate actions.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
Lol, this is wonderful !
Perhaps the idea is that nobody will be inclined to complain about paying for DLC's 17 to 50 if the first 16 are "FREE" ?
ITT: many people who don't understand the basic logistics of releasing a video game through physical distribution channels.
Yeah, because there were never years before the internet where companies shipped physical games..
All of this could have easily been patched in the first day if there was some "magical" CD image, just like every game did before the DLC crap started.
Patching bugs and other issues is not DLC. Adding additional content that is created after the game "goes gold" for printing and distribution is DLC. It's additional content that you download. They don't have to add it. They can leave the game as is when it sends off to the printers. They decided to add additional content and they decided not to charge people for it. That's a whole hell of a lot better than the majority of studios/producers that exist in the industry today. I can't believe people are complaining about this. It's a good thing.