Charging Current Owners For The Witcher III Remastered "Never A Question We Asked Ourselves", Says CDPR
CD Projekt Red joint-CEO Michał Nowakowski says the studio never considered charging existing owners for The Witcher III: Wild Hunt - Remastered, viewing the massive update as a gift to the community while relying on the upcoming Songs of the Past expansion for commercial revenue.
When CD Projekt Red announced the upcoming release of The Witcher III: Wild Hunt - Remastered at Gamescom, one of the most celebrated details was the confirmation that the comprehensive overhaul would be entirely free for current owners of the role-playing game. Speaking with The Game Business, CD Projekt Red joint-CEO Michał Nowakowski revealed that charging existing players for the upgraded edition was a possibility that never even crossed the minds of the development team.
"I don't think it was ever a thought we even had," Nowakowski stated, emphasizing that the studio viewed the project as an overarching improvement rather than a standalone product to monetize twice. Instead of charging for the remaster, CD Projekt Red structured its commercial goals around the upcoming paid expansion, Songs of the Past, developed in collaboration with Fool's Theory. Nowakowski noted that the expansion represented the commercial side of the endeavor, while gifting the remaster felt like "the CDPR way" to honor players who already owned the title.
The remaster itself originated from unexpected circumstances during the development of Songs of the Past. As the teams at CD Projekt Red and Fool's Theory worked deeper into the expansion, casual conversations turned toward modernizing the 11-year-old game. What started as small bug fixes and minor adjustments gradually snowballed into a larger project that heavily overhauls the base game's visuals, combat mechanics, enemy behavior, horse riding, and skill trees, culminating in a full remaster.
In addition to the free upgrade path for current owners, CD Projekt Red announced that new purchasers will receive the base game bundled alongside its two classic expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine. The newly announced remaster is slated to launch on September 29, 2026, bringing enhanced features—including a Switch 2 release with added gyro, motion commands, and mouse controls—while Songs of the Past is scheduled to release the following year.
Sources
- GamesRadar+Secondary publication · recorded Sep 1, 2026CD Projekt "never thought about" charging The Witcher 3 owners for the remaster: "This is the CDPR way"
- Nintendo LifeSecondary publication · recorded Sep 1, 2026Charging Current Owners For The Witcher III Remastered "Never A Question We Asked Ourselves", Says CDPR
- EurogamerEstablished publication · recorded Sep 1, 2026CD Projekt Red never considered charging for The Witcher 3 remaster, and says expansion Songs of the Past came from a couple of "happy accidents"