The Witcher 3's 16th DLC, New Game Plus mode, was free - as were the 15 other pieces of DLC that came before it. Not every piece of extra content for the game will be free (there's still two paid DLC packs coming), but CD Projekt RED co-founder Marcin Iwinski would like to see the practice become more common among studios, and hopes that his studio's game can be a case study in doing right by your audience.
"I’d like to extend my thanks to all the gamers who played our game and gave these DLCs a try," Iwinski said on a recent post to the Witcher website. He stated that nothing makes a developer happier than seeing people have fun with what was created, and called out the free structure in which the DLC was offered as something that should continue. "I would really like to see such initiatives become an industry standard rather than an exception to the general rule, and I hope that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has set a good example."
The idea of DLC has been contentious and divisive since the days when The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion offered horse armor. In its best moments, DLC is seen as a way to get more out of a game and experience things you might not otherwise. In its worst moments, it's seen as greedy milking of customers and exploitative marketing. Can't say I'd be sad to see less of the latter and more of the former opinion running around on the Internet - provided that it's earned of course.
