CD Projekt Red has announced a remastered edition of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which will be a free upgrade for all existing owners of the game and is set to release on September 29th. Alongside this significant update, the developer also provided the first substantial details and debut trailer for the long-awaited expansion, "Songs of the Past."
The trailer for "Songs of the Past," which was shown during Gamescom's Opening Night Live, offered a glimpse into a variety of improvements and additions. These include "enhanced combat," "improved traversal and movement," "enhanced monster behaviours," a revamped skill tree, gear transmog options, and new finishers. The expansion is slated for release in 2027.
In addition to the remaster and the new expansion details, CD Projekt Red also made its two existing expansions, "Blood and Wine" and "Hearts of Stone," free for all owners of the base game as of the announcement date. This move comes more than 12 years after The Witcher 3's initial launch in 2015, with its previous expansions released within approximately a year of the base game.
The development of "Songs of the Past" is a notable event, particularly given CD Projekt Red's subsequent focus on other projects, most notably "Cyberpunk 2077," and its ongoing work on the next main installment in the series, "The Witcher 4," which is targeted for a 2028 release. Many original members of "The Witcher 3" development team have since moved on to other ventures, including the director who departed to form Rebel Wolves and develop "The Blood of Dawnwalker."
The upcoming expansion represents an effort to recapture the acclaimed magic of the original "The Witcher 3." Further details and impressions of "Songs of the Past" are expected as Gamescom progresses.