The Witcher 3 Songs of the Past Is an Expansion, Not DLC, CD Projekt Insists While Using IGN Interview With Idris Elba to Make the Point

In the aftermath of the announcement of The Witcher 3 Songs of the Past, CD Projekt unit person taken to societal media to importune it should beryllium considered an expansion, alternatively than DLC — adjacent utilizing an IGN interrogation with Cyberpunk prima Idris Elba to hammer location the point.

Yesterday, CD Projekt announced the 3rd enlargement to its hugely palmy phantasy role-playing crippled The Witcher 3. It’s owed retired successful 2027, 12 years aft the 60 million-selling The Witcher 3 came retired successful 2015, and 11 years aft the 2nd expansion, Blood and Wine, came retired successful 2016. The Witcher 3's archetypal expansion, Hearts of Stone, was released successful October 2015.

We don’t person overmuch to spell on, prevention an authoritative statement that confirms Songs of the Past volition instrumentality players to the relation of legendary monster slayer Geralt of Rivia for a marque caller escapade connected PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC. That’s near a void for treatment astir the size and scope of Songs of the Past, but everything CD Projekt unit person said pursuing the announcement suggests fans tin expect thing beauteous big.

“Let maine punctual you the explanation of the Expansion,” Paweł Sasko, Associate Game Director connected Cyberpunk 2 and erstwhile developer connected Cyberpunk 2077, its enlargement Phantom Liberty, and The Witcher 3 itself, tweeted alongside a clip of Idris Elba, who played Solomon Reed successful the 2023 expansion. In the clip, which is taken from an IGN interview, Elba stresses that CD Projekt releases DLC for free, but expansions are a antithetic proposition.

“Just to beryllium clear, it’s not DLC. It’s an expansion. You cognize why? Because we bash expansions — Big! Massive! Monster! We don’t bash DLCs, and erstwhile we do, we springiness them away.”

If Songs of the Past is an expansion, then, we are harmless to presume it volition be, arsenic Elba puts it, “big, massive, monster.” But different CD Projekt developers person besides chimed in.

“For america astatine CDPR, DLCs are tiny pieces of contented we merchandise for escaped — similar the further outfits for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt,” Marcin Łukaszewski, Community and Social Media Manager, tweeted successful effect to a instrumentality question.

“Expansions, connected the different hand, are large pieces of contented providing tons of hours of gameplay, including caller story, characters, etc.”

So portion Songs of the Past is technically DLC due to the fact that it’s contented you download, it should beryllium thought of differently. (One caller study pointed to the anticipation of a 'Dune-style' determination for the caller expansion.) CD Projekt volition big an authoritative peculiar day watercourse for Blood and Wine today, May 28. Perhaps we’ll find retired much there.

It’s a hugely engaged clip for CD Projekt. The Witcher 4 accumulation continues, though CD Projekt has cautioned fans not to expect its motorboat until 2027 astatine the earliest. The institution plans an ambitious six-year roadmap successful which it volition besides motorboat The Witcher 5 and The Witcher 6.

While further DLC for The Witcher 3 is present confirmed to beryllium successful development, CD Projekt has ruled retired much DLC for Cyberpunk, suggesting fans volition so person to hold for Cyberpunk 2 to instrumentality to its much-loved dystopian universe. And the hold looks similar it's going to beryllium significant; Cyberpunk 2 is further down The Witcher 4, and CD Projekt co-CEO Michał Nowakowski has suggested Cyberpunk 2 won’t beryllium retired until astatine slightest 2030.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].