The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt first released over six years ago, providing players an immersive visual experience and rich storytelling. It should not come as a surprise to fans of the franchise that developer CD Projekt Red decided to create a next-generation version of the celebrated game with updated graphics and systems. At the first ever WitcherCon, co-hosted by CD Projekt Red and Netflix, the developer shared that the upgraded version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will optimize the game for better performance on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. Planned upgrades include ray-tracing capability and shorter loading times in the base game and its expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine. This upgraded edition will be available as a standalone purchase and will also be offered as a free upgrade for customers who already own Wild Hunt on either PC or current-generation consoles.
Among the upcoming projects discussed at WitcherCon, fans of the games and Netflix show learned the developer has also decided to include some new free DLC to go along with the Wild Hunt update, said to be inspired by the show. Even six years after the game's original launch, the release of new items is not unprecedented for Wild Hunt. CD Projekt Red has already released 16 free DLC packages, including new quests, outfits, contracts, and Gwent cards. Although the information given to fans was vague, based on previous DLC releases players can easily speculate what this new content might look like.
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CDPR announced during its Witcher trivia segment that, "For this upgrade we collaborated with Netflix for some free DLC to add to the game. So as an example you might be able to wear Geralt's armor inspired by the Netflix series."
This does not suggest that there will be any show-inspired major quests added to the game. The updated cover art for the Complete Edition of Wild Hunt states it will include "extra items inspired by the Netflix series," so fans should perhaps expect to see some Netflix-inspired cosmetic DLCs in the same vein as the content additions in previous free DLCs: armor, weapons, outfits, Gwent cards, and so on.
Apart from Geralt's armor, no other items were alluded to, but the DLC will presumably include alternative outfits for characters aside from Geralt. While Geralt already has a number of interesting outfits at his disposal in the game, the outfits for non-playable characters are limited. Offering players more choice would certainly be appealing, as Yennefer in particular had some very interesting costumes in season one of the Netflix series that would fit in well in the game, and new armor for fan-favorite horse companion Roach would be a nice addition. These purely cosmetic changes might not be ground-breaking, but they would offer players a change of scenario and aesthetic for their multiple playthroughs and serve as an incentive for show fans to try out Wild Hunt.
There will probably be some small, silly inclusions, too. Given the popularity of "Toss a Coin to your Witcher," there could plausibly be additional dialogue with Dandelion composing the song, or other similar show references.
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Earlier this year, it was mentioned that fan-made mods could be included in the next-gen upgrade of Wild Hunt. Halk Hogan, the creator of "The Witcher 3 HD Reworked Project" mod for the PC version of Wild Hunt, said he had been contacted by CD Projekt Red about cooperating in some capacity. This mod replaces many of the base game's textures with more detailed ones.
While the HD Reworked Project mod is unrelated to the show, it is possible that some of the show-inspired mods might be made official or could serve as inspiration for DLC. One of the most popular PC mods is one which replaces Geralt with a Geralt inspired by Henry Cavill, so it would not be unreasonable to speculate that there could be an official "Henry Cavill as Geralt" DLC, and even new looks for the rest of the major characters who feature in the show. This could mean giving fans the option to replace the appearances of characters like Yennefer or Dandelion with alternative versions inspired by their Netflix actors.
While the show was more directly inspired by the original book series by Andrzej Sapkowski, there have been plenty of connections between the Witcher games and the Netflix show already. Season two looks set to further embrace their connection with some game-inspired weapons popping up in the the trailer. Adding Netflix-inspired content to the game is sure to be a hit with fans of the small-screen adaptation, and could easily encourage some new players to step into Geralt's boots.
Despite fan speculation, CDPR was true to its word and did not unveil any new major projects at WitcherCon, such as a potential Witcher 4. This served as a disappointment for fans, but given the ever-growing popularity of the franchise and its large number of upcoming projects, such a development cannot be written off completely for the future.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is currently available on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X/S planned to launch in 2021.
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