CD Projekt dev: "Minor DLC should be free"

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Plague_Injected

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Article here.

When asked whether this was an act of generosity on behalf of the company, Tomaszkiewicz, whom worked as lead quest designer on the title, suggested that it was perhaps a distorted perception to expect to pay for all additional content release post-launch.

"I think all of the smaller DLCs should be free. In my opinion, you shouldn’t pay for such small packs for to the game. I have no problem with buying an add-on to a game which adds a lot of hours of gameplay and a lot of new content, like expansions used to be in the past. But small DLCs, such as individual items – a customer shouldn’t be forced to pay for that."
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It's nice when someone in the industry speaks out against customers being nickel-and-dimed.
 
Thank god there is someone sensible and rational out in the industry who hasn't been caught up in the mentality of wringing every last cent out of their customer base.

CD Projekt made me a fan with Witcher 2, so I am more than happy to buy all their future games as a show of support.
 
A very rare breed of developer with common sense
 
I've never heard of CD Projekt before, but man, I'm glad I just did. People like this will get my business.
 
Shorehn said:
I've never heard of CD Projekt before, but man, I'm glad I just did. People like this will get my business.
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What dark cavern did you crawl out of? :p

The Witcher & The Witcher 2 have been well-known for being excellent RPGs. :)
 
CrimsonKnight13 said:
What dark cavern did you crawl out of? :p

The Witcher & The Witcher 2 have been well-known for being excellent RPGs. :)
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I would say beyond excellent, they are the best fantasy RPGs to come out since Baldur's Gate II and Plandscape: Torment which are widely touted as two of the best CRPG's ever made.
 
In 6 months to a year, CD Projekt will do something that PC gamers don't agree with and they will be shunned.
 
merlin704 said:
In 6 months to a year, CD Projekt will do something that PC gamers don't agree with and they will be shunned.
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Are you talking about the console version of The Witcher 2? That won't affect my opinion of them.
 
A PC game that is later ported to console is fine with me. A PC game that is held up in bureaucracy while the console port is finished, or a PC game that is built with console's in mind, are the things which drive me away.
 
bigdogchris said:
A PC game that is later ported to console is fine with me. A PC game that is held up in bureaucracy while the console port is finished, or a PC game that is built with console's in mind, are the things which drive me away.
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DING DING DING
 
bigdogchris said:
A PC game that is later ported to console is fine with me. A PC game that is held up in bureaucracy while the console port is finished, or a PC game that is built with console's in mind, are the things which drive me away.
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Thats basically what Ubisoft did with the Assassins Creed games. Hold em up for PC untill months after the console release.
 
Fail said:
Thats basically what Ubisoft did with the Assassins Creed games. Hold em up for PC untill months after the console release.
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Though we did get free DLC with those delayed releases. Along with free shitty DRM.
 
merlin704 said:
In 6 months to a year, CD Projekt will do something that PC gamers don't agree with and they will be shunned.
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They almost already did with that "going after pirates with lawsuits" business.

Thankfully they turned around on that one.
 
MavericK96 said:
They almost already did with that "going after pirates with lawsuits" business.

Thankfully they turned around on that one.
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I understand why people were upset with the idea since there is no real way to eliminate innocent people without going through expensive court battles, but still it's funny that people acted so surprised when they did it despite saying they would months before the game released.
 
Derangel said:
I understand why people were upset with the idea since there is no real way to eliminate innocent people without going through expensive court battles, but still it's funny that people acted so surprised when they did it despite saying they would months before the game released.
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People probably thought they were just trying to "prevent" piracy with outrageous claims. When they actually started to follow through on that, however...
 
I remember a time when I used to get excited for patches because they would include new maps, new game modes, etc etc. Nowadays you can still get that new content, but it's gonna cost ya...
 
Derangel said:
Though we did get free DLC with those delayed releases. Along with free shitty DRM.
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Until Revelations. PC users are charged for DLC the same as console gamers, despite the delayed release.


MavericK96 said:
They almost already did with that "going after pirates with lawsuits" business.

Thankfully they turned around on that one.
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The threat coincided with a pretty hefty discount on The Witcher 2 through GOG.com. My thought is that it was a brazen attempt to get people who torrented the game to pay for it.
 
I agree with CD Projekt dev. Minor DLC should be free.

However, vital lore-relevant DLC like the ME3 release day DLC should cost $20
 
You have a bad habit of trolling these forums tonight Sonic. You need to cut the trolling out. CD Projekt needs to clone itself and fix the industry. I hate DLC. First and last time I ever bought DLC was for Street Fighter 4 AE because I really wanted to try out the costumes but didn't feel like it was worth the price. DLC should really be minimal cost or be free.
 
marylandman said:
You have a bad habit of trolling these forums tonight Sonic. You need to cut the trolling out. CD Projekt needs to clone itself and fix the industry. I hate DLC. First and last time I ever bought DLC was for Street Fighter 4 AE because I really wanted to try out the costumes but didn't feel like it was worth the price. DLC should really be minimal cost or be free.
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Just because I've laid out a sarcastic reply to this thread doesn't mean I'm trolling. I have a strong feeling that this latest statement is basically in the wake of the ME3 day 1 DLC, which conveniently pits The Witcher and its DLC against a game in the same genre and during a time of great criticism against that game. Hyperbole is an effective tactic, and even then I don't feel that I'm very far off base.

Have you played ME? It is an RPG. In an RPG, the story is the game. Bioware gutted an incredible story aspect (helllooooo, the last living Prothean - you know, those guys that created the fucking citadel and mass effect technology and then went extinct thousands of years ago in the story) and made you pay for it. But hey, it's just my opinion that holding vital storylines hostage in an RPG is bullshit.
 
Derangel said:
Though we did get free DLC with those delayed releases. Along with free shitty DRM.
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Except by the time the PC version came out the console version had already dropped in price.
Plague_Injected said:
The threat coincided with a pretty hefty discount on The Witcher 2 through GOG.com. My thought is that it was a brazen attempt to get people who torrented the game to pay for it.
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I wonder whether it was a move by the publishers of the game (Namco Bandai). Namco Bandai, frankly, seem like epic douchebags.

It was them who forced GOG to use Geo-IP for TW2 purchases.

It was them who forced CDProjekt to use DRM, and then when it was removed they kicked up a stink about it.

It was them who sued CDProjekt over the rights to the 360 version, because CDP wanted to swap to THQ.

It wouldn't suprise me if it was them pursuing legal action against pirates as well. I hope CDP get away from that piece of shit publisher at their first opportunity and stay away from them.

http://gamepolitics.com/2011/07/08/...cher-2-makers-over-european-publishing-rights
http://www.gog.com/en/news/the_witcher_2_update_of_our_geo_ip_policy
 
CD projeckt will be announcing two new games that will debut in the next two years and something for the near-term too. I just finished the Witcher 2 and must say it is one of the best games I've played. Can't wait for their new stuff.
 
Tudz said:
Except by the time the PC version came out the console version had already dropped in price.

I wonder whether it was a move by the publishers of the game (Namco Bandai). Namco Bandai, frankly, seem like epic douchebags.

It was them who forced GOG to use Geo-IP for TW2 purchases.

It was them who forced CDProjekt to use DRM, and then when it was removed they kicked up a stink about it.

It was them who sued CDProjekt over the rights to the 360 version, because CDP wanted to swap to THQ.

It wouldn't suprise me if it was them pursuing legal action against pirates as well. I hope CDP get away from that piece of shit publisher at their first opportunity and stay away from them.

http://gamepolitics.com/2011/07/08/...cher-2-makers-over-european-publishing-rights
http://www.gog.com/en/news/the_witcher_2_update_of_our_geo_ip_policy
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No the lawsuits were entirely CDP. They announced that they would do it during one of their GOG conferences.

As far as NamcoBandai goes before damning them to the deepest pits of hell step back for a moment and look at it from their side. The Witcher 2 was a niche title on a niche platform. A platform that the publisher does not have a lot of experience in and all industry reports scream about piracy on. From a business perspective it would be stupid of them not to consider DRM. As funny as it is to see CDP basically give them the finger and remove the DRM with a patch, it was still a stupid move. DRM is not cheap and NamcoBandai paid a lot money for it. CDP broke their agreement with their publisher which has legal ramifications, that's how contracts work. As far the the 360 version goes I'm betting there was stuff in the contract CDP WILLINGLY signed that accounted for other versions or it was an all inclusive contract meaning CDP or another publisher would need to buy the rights to publish it on another platform (see: Mass Effect 1 for a good example of this). In either of those cases CDP is again in the wrong and again going against those contracts has legal ramifications.
 
They removed the DRM because it was causing problems for people and it was somewhat pointless to have a version with DRM anyways since the GOG version didn't have any from the start. I can say that them removing the DRM from the retail version got me to buy it at full price as I was torn between the DRM free version and the retail version that came with some nice extras.
 
Derangel said:
No the lawsuits were entirely CDP. They announced that they would do it during one of their GOG conferences.

As far as NamcoBandai goes before damning them to the deepest pits of hell step back for a moment and look at it from their side. The Witcher 2 was a niche title on a niche platform. A platform that the publisher does not have a lot of experience in and all industry reports scream about piracy on. From a business perspective it would be stupid of them not to consider DRM. As funny as it is to see CDP basically give them the finger and remove the DRM with a patch, it was still a stupid move. DRM is not cheap and NamcoBandai paid a lot money for it. CDP broke their agreement with their publisher which has legal ramifications, that's how contracts work. As far the the 360 version goes I'm betting there was stuff in the contract CDP WILLINGLY signed that accounted for other versions or it was an all inclusive contract meaning CDP or another publisher would need to buy the rights to publish it on another platform (see: Mass Effect 1 for a good example of this). In either of those cases CDP is again in the wrong and again going against those contracts has legal ramifications.
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The lawsuits were CDP? You mean they sued NB? All reports I've read say the opposite. Or do you mean it was their fault they got sued?

I think the fault of the DRM fiasco lies in both companies to some extent, but I'm happier to blame NB for being idiots. As mentioned above, the GOG version was always going to be DRM free, so NB telling them to put DRM on the retail version was pointless. The DRM then caused problems for a lot of people (as did the retailer exclusive content)... I'm not sure who is to blame there, as CDP was probably the one implementing DRM, but at the request of NB. The DRM was then removed in a patch because it was causing problems, so I think CDP was right for removing it so that the product they sold actually works (which they also have a legal responsibility to the CUSTOMER that it actually works, you can't just sell games that don't bloody work).

The removal of geo-IP from GOG was a sneaky move by them to circumvent not only regional censorship but also regional pricing. TW2 originally was available on both GOG AND Steam for $50 everywhere, but I assume a publisher kicked up a fuss about it and forced them to go increase the price in some regions, as it jumped to $80 out here. Soon after censorship was announced the geo-IP was removed from GOG, allowing customers to choose their regino for both the sake of censorship and pricing... a sneaky move no doubt, but one that would have bought them more sales and more respect in the long run. I can understand why NB would be unhappy about that, but frankly they're fucking morons for being unhappy about it and if they had half a brain would have done it themselves.

I have no doubt CDP is legally either on ambiguous ground at best, and in the wrong at worst... but all their actions are pro customer (who they also have a legal responsibility to as well) and frankly (IMO) earnt them more sales and particularly more long term credibility with consumers, a great thing when it comes to selling future games. NB can suck it.
 
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Tudz said:
The lawsuits were CDP? You mean they sued NB? All reports I've read say the opposite.

I think the fault of the DRM fiasco lies in both companies to some extent, but I'm happier to blame NB for being idiots. As mentioned above, the GOG version was always going to be DRM free, so NB telling them to put DRM on the retail version was pointless. The DRM then caused problems for a lot of people (as did the retailer exclusive content)... I'm not sure who is to blame there, as CDP was probably the one implementing DRM, but at the request of NB. The DRM was then removed in a patch because it was causing problems, so I think CDP was right for removing it so that the product they sold actually works (which they also have a legal responsibility to the CUSTOMER that it actually works, you can't just sell games that don't bloody work).

The removal of geo-IP from GOG was a sneaky move by them to circumvent not only regional censorship but also regional pricing. TW2 originally was available on both GOG AND Steam for $50 everywhere, but I assume a publisher kicked up a fuss about it and forced them to go increase the price in some regions, as it jumped to $80 out here. Soon after censorship was announced the geo-IP was removed from GOG, allowing customers to choose their regino for both the sake of censorship and pricing... a sneaky move no doubt, but one that would have bought them more sales and more respect in the long run. I can understand why NB would be unhappy about that, but frankly they're fucking morons for being unhappy about it and if they had half a brain would have done it themselves.

I have no doubt CDP is legally either on ambiguous ground at best, and in the wrong at worst... but all their actions are pro customer (who they also have a legal responsibility to as well) and frankly (IMO) earnt them more sales and particularly more long term credibility with consumers, a great thing when it comes to selling future games. NB can suck it.
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Sorry if my wording was bad, I meant the lawsuits filed against alleged pirates was all CDP.

Well CDP agreed to put DRM in. So yes the fault lies on both sides, but CDP could have walked away. While it may seem pointless, like I said NB doesn't have a lot of experience with the PC market it makes sense for them to be wary and to listen to industry reports. I agree that it was the right thing for CDP to do, but they did it without the consent of their publisher and right or not it's a violation of their publishing contract. I'm guessing they did talk with NB about removing it and when NB refused they just did it anyway preferring to deal with NB being mad versus pissing off their customers.

I agree about Geo-IP. I may be in the US and not effected by most of the pricing stuff, but it is bullshit. EA, Valve, NB, whoever it's all bullshit. Prices should scale according to currency value. If something costs $50 in the US it should cost the same everywhere else (with exceptions of course since there are places where games have to be sold at huge discounts to combat piracy).

I like CDP and love that they're willing to deal with lawsuits from publishers over pissing off customers, BUT NB still should go after them. They can't really let it slide and expect to be able to keep enforcing their contracts and it could royally fuck the publisher-developer relationship in the long which could be very bad for us as well.
 
Overall, let's just agree that CDP has done more right than wrong, and their DLC 4 Free is pretty awesome, not to mention they reinvested a lot of the profits they made off both Witcher games into producing and releasing ENHANCED editions of both games for free.

If that's not love, I don't know what is.

Sure CDP wants to make money, but they also give a damn about their customers.
 
I expect patches. Nothing more.

If you want to shower me with free post-release content, fantastic, but I won't look down on those who don't follow the same path and charge a few coins for minor DLC.
 
wonderfield said:
I expect patches. Nothing more.

If you want to shower me with free post-release content, fantastic, but I won't look down on those who don't follow the same path and charge a few coins for minor DLC.
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You won't, I will.
 
Interesting they even sold 400,000 copies of the first Witcher last year, too.
 
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