CD Projekt Red has confirmed that the upcoming remastered edition of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will be a free upgrade for all existing owners. The developer stated that charging for the extensive visual and gameplay overhaul was never contemplated, with the project evolving organically from discussions about modernizing the acclaimed RPG.
Development of the remaster began when CD Projekt Red, collaborating with Fool's Theory, began discussing ways to improve the decade-old game. These conversations evolved from minor tweaks to a comprehensive update. "Everything feels like it was developed 10 years ago. And that was really the beginning of the conversation," stated CD Projekt Red joint-CEO Michał Nowakowski in an interview with The Game Business. "And we started chatting, like, 'What could we do to improve it?' It started with small things, like okay maybe let's fix this, maybe let's fix that, and then it turned into this larger project and we suddenly realised we actually have a remaster on our hands."
While the remaster itself is a free gift to players, the new expansion, titled "Songs of the Past," will be a paid addition. Nowakowski described this as the "commercial bit," emphasizing that the decision to make the remaster free was aligned with the company's ethos: "We really felt this is the CDPR way, to gift it to the players who already own it." Alongside the remaster, CD Projekt Red is also bundling the game's existing expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, with all new purchases of The Witcher 3.
Nowakowski also shed light on the genesis of the "Songs of the Past" expansion, noting that it was the result of a couple of "happy accidents." Initially, CD Projekt Red had no plans to revisit The Witcher 3, viewing it as a complete story. However, a confluence of factors led to the expansion's development. One such factor was the collaboration with Fool's Theory, a studio comprised of former CD Projekt Red employees. Fool's Theory was originally slated to work on a remake of The Witcher 1, but this project has been delayed due to technological dependencies related to Unreal Engine 5, which is also being used for The Witcher 4.
"We actually had the idea for the third expansion a long time ago, but it was in the drawer, and that led us to the answer, which was, 'Yes, let's give it a shot. It sounds maybe crazy, but let's try and give Geralt one more ride,'" Nowakowski explained. The Witcher 3 Remastered edition is slated for release on September 29th, with the "Songs of the Past" expansion expected sometime next year. The Witcher 4 is anticipated in 2028.