Development studio CD Projekt Red, who are trying their very hardest to be the anti-Ubisoft, announced today that their upcoming role-playing game The Witcher 3 will have a whopping 16 pieces of downloadable content. All for free.
In a cheeky blog post this morning, the folks behind The Witcher proclaimed that the downloadable content—which even includes horse armor—will be available free on every platform (PC/PS4/Xbox One), no matter what, whether you pre-order the game or buy it later. They'll release DLC bundles every week after the game launches on February 24, 2015. Packs will include quests, alternative costumes, and beard sets.
So is this a legitimately good offer or just a devious scheme to make The Witcher 3 seem more generous? It's impossible to answer until we see everything they're offering, but either way, it makes for a stark contrast to, say, Ubisoft's Far Cry 4, which is full of DLC, pre-order exclusive bonuses, and yak farms.
Given that The Witcher has been so successful—and given the severe backlash to exclusive DLC schemes that totally screw over gamers, like Destiny's PlayStation-exclusive strikes—it seems like maybe, just maybe, publishers treating their players like more than person-sized wallets might be a decent strategy.