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General discussionAnnouncing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Expansion Pass(1100 posts)(1100 posts)
(1100 posts)
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Posted April 07, 2015
Two full-blown expansions for the epic RPG.




The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is almost here. That means the game is pretty much finished, and the devs are about to take a deep breath while CD-presses and hype machines slowly wind up to take things through the home stretch. It's not gold yet, but now that development is coming to an end, the CD PROJEKT RED team is ready to start their work on two new, ambitious monster-hunting expansions.

The expansions will be called <span class="bold">Hearts of Stone</span>, and <span class="bold">Blood and Wine</span>. Combined, they'll offer over 30 hours of new adventures for Geralt, and the latter introduces a whole new major area to roam. More items, gear, and characters (including a few familiar faces) will all be crafted with the same attention to detail as the game itself.
<span class="bold">Hearts of Stone</span> is a 10-hour adventure across the wilds of No Man's Land and the nooks of Oxenfurt. The secretive Man of Glass has a contract for you - you'll need all your smarts and cunning to untangle a thick web of deceit, investigate the mystery, and emerge in one piece.
<span class="bold"><span class="bold">Blood and Wine</span></span> is the big one, introducing an all-new, playable in-game region to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. It will take you about 20 hours to discover all of Toussaint, a land of wine, untainted by war. And to uncover the dark, bloody secret behind an atmosphere of carefree indulgence.







There used to be a time when buying an add-on disk or expansion for your game really meant something. That's what CD PROJEKT RED are going for, it's about bringing that old feeling back. You can take it from our very own iWi, (that's Marcin Iwinski, co-founder of CD PROJEKT RED):

"We’ve said in the past that if we ever decide to release paid content, it will be vast in size and represent real value for the money. Both of our expansions offer more hours of gameplay than quite a few standalone games out there.”

Hearts of Stone is expected to premiere this October, while Blood and Wine is slated for release in the first quarter of 2016, so there's still plenty of time ahead. We're offering you the <span class="bold">Expansion Pass</span> now - it's a chance to pre-order the two expansions and even show your support for the devs. But we can't stress Marcin Iwinski's words enough:

“Don’t buy it if you have any doubts. Wait for reviews or play The Witcher and see if you like it first. As always, it’s your call."







The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is just over a month away, and you can pre-order the game right now - it's a particularly great deal if you own the previous Witcher games and take advantage of the additional fan discount (both The Witcher and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings are 80% off right now!). You can also take a rather unique refresher course on the universe with The Witcher Adventure Game at a 40% discount, all until Thursday, 4:59 PM GMT.
Post edited April 07, 2015 by Chamb
Posted April 09, 2015
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Hello Everyone,

First of all let me thank you for your feedback. Although a bit harsh at times, it is always very passionate, emotional and we really do appreciate it.

I wanted to add a few words to the original press release, which will hopefully shed some more light on the Expansions and the timing of the announcement.

Let me start with the Expansions themselves. The work on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is almost done and we are waiting for the final certifications. Thanks to it we were able to allocate part of the team onto the expansions. Yes, we have been thinking about it for some time, as with over 250 people on the Witcher team good planning is essential.

Rest assured, there is no hidden agenda or cutting out any content from the game. Both Expansions are being built at this very moment, from the ground up – hence the release dates long after the launch of Wild Hunt. We develop them in-house by the same team, which was working on Wild Hunt. This is the best guarantee we can give you that our goal is to deliver both the story and production values on par with the main game.

Now, on the timing of the announcement - in other words “why now” and not - let’s say – “a few months after the release of Wild Hunt”. The reason is very simple: we want to get the word out about the Expansions to as many gamers as possible out there. There is no better time for it than during the apex of the Marketing & PR campaign of the game. Doing it sometime after the release would mean that our reach would be much smaller.

Yes, we are a business, and yes, we would love to see both the game and the Expansions selling well. Having said that, we always put gamers first and are actually quite paranoid about the fact that whatever we offer is honest, of highest quality, and represents good value for your hard earn buck.

Yes, these are just my words. So let me repeat myself from the original release: if you still have any doubts -- don’t buy the Expansions. Wait for reviews or play The Witcher and see if you like it first. As always, it’s your call.

Cheers,

Marcin
Post edited April 09, 2015 by Destro
Posted April 08, 2015
Too early to announce expansion. Should be polishing OC instead, since there's already one delay. I'll support the expansions if the OC is proven to be substantial and solid. Otherwise, will buy expansions years from now.
Posted April 08, 2015
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P1na: ...
I believe it's clear under what category witcher 3 falls, and why I want to cancel my preorder.
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lukaszthegreat: So you want witcher 3 to be postponed till 2016?
No you don't understand.

He decided for HIMSELF to postpone the buying of Witcher 3, until a complete version is released. You can play to your hearts content the witcher 3, that will be released in May 2015. Nobody wants to postpone the main game, heaven forbid that. Have fun.

I on the other hand wait for the GotY version. And I can only speak for myself. The only thing I can do, in this situation, is canceling my preorder, which I did. And after that waiting until CD Project is ready for their next project.

I do not know how many gamers like me exist here on GOG and honestly, I do not care. I can speak only for myself. Like every one else, too.
Posted April 08, 2015
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JMich: I'll play the Devil's Advocate here. Imagine if this announcement was made once you could no longer cancel your pre-order. All the people the are now rushing to cancel would feel cheated out of the base game's value, which they now can spend in other ways. So instead of the "You won't get my money" voices you'd have the "You got my money and didn't deliver" ones. If you are going to have one of those groups, which one is better to have?
I think in reality, one of the things that grates on a lot of people's nerves isn't that they announced expansions before the game was even out, but that they started selling them before the game was even out. If a digital pre-order option smells like wanting to get people's money before they have a chance to read potentially damning reviews (and it does), then a digital pre-order for future as-yet-unfinished content for a game that is itself still in pre-order stinks to high heaven of it.

If they had just announced that they were going to make expansions for TW3, but didn't actually start taking in money until much closer to the release of the expansions themselves, I don't think the negative reactions would have been nearly as severe.

Naturally there would still have been people cancelling their pre-orders and waiting for the inevitable GOTY release instead, but I don't think they'd have been so mad about it.

Also, I think a lot of those cancellations could have been avoided if only they had clarified exactly how the expansions will integrate into the main game. The thing is, if the expansion content is integrated into the main storyline, then in order to get at it, you will have to play through the main storyline again, all 200 hours of it (supposedly) once the expansions are released. If that is the case, then I can certainly relate. I wouldn't want to be forced to do that either. However, if the expansion content will be available on its own (StarCraft 2 style, you know, as separate campaigns), then there should be no need to not play the main game before the expansions are out.
Posted April 08, 2015
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lukaszthegreat: So you want witcher 3 to be postponed till 2016?
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mkess: No you don't understand.

He decided for HIMSELF to postpone the buying of Witcher 3, until a complete version is released. You can play to your hearts content the witcher 3, that will be released in May 2015. Nobody wants to postpone the main game, heaven forbid that. Have fun.

I on the other hand wait for the GotY version. And I can only speak for myself. The only thing I can do, in this situation, is canceling my preorder, which I did. And after that waiting until CD Project is ready for their next project.

I do not know how many gamers like me exist here on GOG and honestly, I do not care. I can speak only for myself. Like every one else, too.
Believe me, you're not alone. I did the same and I feel great about it. I refuse to perpetuate this pre-order culture.
Posted April 08, 2015
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altshift_kill: So, guys, let me get this clear ... We will support games like The Order (60eur for 4h gameplay + 2h cutscenes) but not RPGs like The Witcher 3, a 200+ game, because they announced two expansions (30h for 25eur) ?!

... and you wonder why you get games like EVOLVE.
Who said that anyone of us is supporting games like The Order?
Posted April 08, 2015
not sure about the whole pre-ordering dlc thing, before the game is even out, But one dlc I would definitely buy would be one to let you play as Ciri in the open world.
Posted April 08, 2015
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Wishbone: ...
I don't think this is to do with avoiding reviews per se. If it was something like "pre-order now and get 50% off" then I'd agree. That would be trying to make you feel like you'll be a fool if you don't buy it right now - conveniently before there are reviews. This probably has some saving included, but it's not really the focus.

This is still a business move, but a more innocent and less manipulative one. It's more to do with taking the pre-release excitement and trying to transfer that to the expansions. You're excited for this game? Well then here's even more to be excited about now. But as I said in my initial point, there's nothing here to do with "forcing" or even encouraging early purchases, it's merely allowing them.

I'd also like to say that it always seems silly to be when everyone gets angry because of a supposed cunning and exploitative plan they've just been attacked with, yet everyone is aware of said plan. It actually makes people sound a bit paranoid, like conspiracy theorists who think there's a well-kept secret that they somehow found out by looking at news websites. Not to mention, this is everywhere. Do you go into a sweet shop and say "20% off on this Mars bar? They're clearly trying to exploit me by making me buy chocolate I wouldn't have otherwise bought! I will never buy chocolate again!"
Post edited April 08, 2015 by Export
Posted April 08, 2015
Wow! This announcement generated so much negative publicity, I felt extremely compelled to go ahead and pre-order the expansion pass.

I already like that they had provided several 'freebies' as well as some extra DLC for "The Witcher 3" --and I really hope they do the same for people that pre-order the expansions.

It seems as if some look at this as a "money grab" and, well, in a way it is. Someone has to keep paying the staff! I usually prefer a pre-order game rather than "pay for play" (as long as I don't get burned in the bargain).

The amount of time I usually get to play games these days, it might very well be well into 2016 before I get a chance to finish the base game and just in time to start with both expansions!
Posted April 08, 2015
Pre-order cancelled and I am now 100% sure I will NEVER pre-order again on GoG.
Posted April 08, 2015
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JDelekto: Wow! This announcement generated so much negative publicity,
Only on GOG.If you check any gaming site that reported this news you won't see people screaming for bloody murder.
Posted April 08, 2015
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mobutu: ...
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Trilarion: 30 hours of gameplay is actually like a second game right?
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mobutu: Actually, the base game costs 50 bucks and offers 200 hours of gameplay (according to devs) -> $0.25/hour
and the expansion pass costs 25 bucks and offers 30 hours of gameplay (according to devs). -> $0.83/hour
that's a price hike of 333% :) ...
For current prices it might be more expensive, but still within reason. Some games can be more expensive than others and $0.83/hour is still not really expensive, especially since this is probably the highest price they can ever ask for. It will only get cheaper in the future.

Also I'm not sure where to find the 200 hours gameplay of the main game. I hope it won't all be repetitive monster slaying.
Post edited April 08, 2015 by Trilarion
Posted April 08, 2015
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Wishbone: ...
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Export: I don't think this is to do with avoiding reviews per se. If it was something like "pre-order now and get 50% off" then I'd agree. That would be trying to make you feel like you'll be a fool if you don't buy it right now - conveniently before there are reviews. This probably has some saving included, but it's not really the focus.

This is still a business move, but a more innocent and less manipulative one. It's more to do with taking the pre-release excitement and trying to transfer that to the expansions. You're excited for this game? Well then here's even more to be excited about now. But as I said in my initial point, there's nothing here to do with "forcing" or even encouraging early purchases, it's merely allowing them.
You misunderstand me. I am not ascribing nefarious motives to GOG and/or CDProjekt. All I am commenting on is how their actions are likely to be perceived, given the history of the recent years of AAA game publishing. Whether that perception is right, wrong or in any way justified is entirely beside the point.
Posted April 08, 2015
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Export: I'd also like to say that it always seems silly to be when everyone gets angry because of a supposed cunning and exploitative plan they've just been attacked with, yet everyone is aware of said plan. It actually makes people sound a bit paranoid, like conspiracy theorists who think there's a well-kept secret that they somehow found out by looking at news websites. Not to mention, this is everywhere. Do you go into a sweet shop and say "20% off on this Mars bar? They're clearly trying to exploit me by making me buy chocolate I wouldn't have otherwise bought! I will never buy chocolate again!"
It's all about trust, and gamers have been burned so many fucking times in the past 10 years that many of us simply refuse to engage in any more abusive relationships. There have been far too many to count. To see CDP and GOG now go down that same path is just insulting to their hardcore legion of supporters who honestly believed them when they said they would always be different.

Your sweet shop analogy is terrible. A more accurate one would be,

"I wanted this new candy when you promised it so I paid in advance, and you promised me repeatedly it would be in stock many months ago, then 3 months ago, then this month, and now you say it will be in stock months into the future and it won't even be the same candy that I was originally promised... but in the meantime I should be tempted to pay more money for the rest of the ingredients of the previously promised "full" candy, ingredients which you promise will finally, eventually, make the original candy complete but which you never mentioned were necessary or even existed until now. And I should do all of this without having even tasted the latest long delayed candy!

The problem is, I expected the complete candy from the start, as was promised, and as I paid for, on time, and delivered in the same fucking manner that you delivered the previous two shipments of candy."

Trust folks, and GOG and CDP just lost a lot of it. I've got no problem paying 100 dollars for a complete Witcher 3, but I cannot fucking stand being lied to and misled in the pursuit of profit. It's happened far too many times in the past 10 years and I simply won't fucking take it anymore, from anyone.

NEVER, EVER AGAIN.
Post edited April 08, 2015 by bigsilverhotdog
Posted April 08, 2015
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JDelekto: Wow! This announcement generated so much negative publicity,
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Mr.Caine: Only on GOG.If you check any gaming site that reported this news you won't see people screaming for bloody murder.
Nope, Steam page of Witcher 3 is full of similar threads and preorder cancelations.
Post edited April 08, 2015 by Matruchus
Posted April 08, 2015
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patthefatrat: Where did you read this? Could you post the source please? Thank you.
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Pheace: http://www.gog.com/forum/general/is_it_allowed_to_ger_witcher_3_this_way/post12

"Your order contains Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, The - preorder, which cannot be purchased as a gift in your region at this time. To proceed with your order, please remove Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, The - preorder. "
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Pheace:
I really didn't know this. That's quite interesting and I'm wondering why that hasn't been publicly announced by the GOG staff. Thank you for bringing that to my attention.
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Community
General discussionAnnouncing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Expansion Pass(1100 posts)(1100 posts)
(1100 posts)