In an interview with Eurogamer Italy, a CD Projekt Red developer stated that the DLC expansion "The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine" was a better game than the original "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" base game. Speaking with Gamespot, marketing lead Michal Platkow-Gilewski clarifies these statements.
Platkow-Gilewski states that the new DLC is the sum of all their experiences while making "Wild Hunt" and the rest of additions such as the free bonus content the game has received over the past year. In this sense, he calls "Blood and Wine" a more refined game if not necessarily better.
"I wouldn't point fingers at what's better separately, as each addition to 'Wild Hunt' enriches the overall experience you get from 'The Witcher' as a game in general," Platkow-Gilewski explains. "The base game with the expansions is simply better than without them."
The report continues to point out that "Blood and Wine" is roughly twice the size of the first DLC expansion, "Hearts of Stone," boasting 20 hours of new gameplay embodied in new quests, an entirely new location, and new content and mechanics for players to sink into.
Putting "Hearts of Stone" and "Blood and Wine" together, the report states that they are almost as lengthy and filled with content that could rival that of "The Witcher 2."
"The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine" was originally expected to release during the first quarter of the year but this has since been changed to the first half of the year, leading to a release window that closes by June. It is also expected to be the last game in the franchise, given the events that unfold in "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" and in the original books by author Andrzej Sapkowski.
While no release date yet announced, a report from IGN states that the official "The Witcher 3" collectible statues, made in partnership with Gentle Giant and Dark Horse Comics, will release this September at an estimated $30 price tag.
