2015 has been a pretty good year for gaming in terms of pure entertainment, but it's often been soured by news of some very questionable business practices. Whether it was simple stuff like Star Wars Battlefront's preposterous $50 season pass or Deus Ex: Mankind Divided's deservedly canned pre-order strategy, there's been plenty to shake your head at over the last 12 months. For what it's worth, we reckon that one company in particular shunned the greedy nature that's sadly expected from our industry these days – we're talking, of course, about the studio behind The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, CD Projekt Red.
The Polish outfit is no stranger to treating its customers with respect. Building its name on the PC, the studio supported both The Witcher and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings well into their respective lifespans, adding content and positively tweaking the two titles to the best of its abilities. It was with Wild Hunt, though, that the developer took its post-release support to the next level.
"Wild Hunt is everything that the current AAA climate has seemingly fought to abandon"
Geralt of Rivia's latest adventure launched on 19th May, and once it was available, CD Projekt Red set its rather ambitious downloadable content strategy into motion. The plan was to release small bits and pieces – new equipment, new quests, and miscellaneous additions – on a weekly basis, and although a couple of items got delayed once or twice, it's safe to say that a steady trickle fresh content kept many players coming back to check out what was new. The most important part, though? Everything was free.
We see countless other titles nickel and dime users for very small slices of DLC all of the time. More niche games in particular tend to launch with an abundance of optional content that can be downloaded piece by piece for a couple of dollars, and even though this is likely to be a more effective business model for games that aren't going to set sales charts alight, it still leaves a bit of a sour taste after you've spent your hard earned cash on a fully priced title. CD Projekt Red said to Hell with all that, and simply dished out free DLC on a regular basis.
Of course, unlike those niche releases that we mentioned, The Witcher 3 had a huge marketing push behind it – but that's not really the point. Wild Hunt attracted so much positive press from the media that it may well have been worth the cost of pumping out free additional content in the first place. Couple that with the fact that the game has basically remained highly visible across the web thanks to a consistent supply of game updates, and it could be argued that the media has done a lot of the title's advertising for it. A big budget, critically acclaimed fantasy role-playing game gets free DLC and additional stuff through regular patches? It's everything that the current AAA climate has seemingly fought to abandon.
"The studio refuses to conform with many of this industry's increasingly ugly trends"
The Warsaw-based studio has always stuck by its fans, and that's why it's managed to gain so much trust. After months of free DLC, Wild Hunt got its first expansion: Hearts of Stone. The fresh adventure could be acquired through the title's season pass, and around the time of the main game's launch, we remember seeing a lot people say that they would be grabbing the pass straight off the bat. Why? Because they had genuine faith that CD Projekt Red would deliver the goods. And guess what? It did. Hearts of Stone is absolutely superb, and at a standalone price of $9.99, its mere existence puts the offerings of countless other titles to shame.
However, as hinted, it's not just about free DLC and attractive price tags – it's about the developer's decision to go against the tide and refuse to conform with many of this industry's increasingly ugly trends. Sure, the studio has undoubtedly stuck to its own plan, growing fat on the goodwill that its been fed by both consumers and the media alike, but ultimately, Wild Hunt is a game that deserves to be surrounded with such positivity.
We don't think that CD Projekt Red should be crowned the best developer of 2015 on these merits alone, though. We can't possibly forget that the studio has produced one of the greatest games of this year, and what's considered by many to be one of the best role-playing releases ever made. What's more, we can't help but feel that this is a developer that's only just hit its prime, and for that reason, we can't wait to see where it goes next.
Do you agree that CD Projekt Red is the best developer of 2015? If not, then who is? Fight for your favourite in the comments section below.
Comments 25
I agree about DLC but dont forget about the Driveclub developers they have a great way of supporting their game to.
As much as I think CD Project are great developers - their games prove that, I do think a lot of the things they get credited for - like the 'free DLC' in the Witcher 3 is nothing but a PR stunt. I certainly didn't feel that this content added anything to the game or felt like it wasn't taken from the game for this purpose. As a Day 1 player, most of the gear was actually useless by the time it was given back. I am not complaining the fact they didn't then charge us for these. I do wonder though if other games/developers copied this, would they get the praise? What if Bungie kept a few items back and then gave them to us at a later date - Weapons/gear that are obsolete because your light level is now much higher than if they let you access these on day 1, quests that have no reason not to be in the game but kept back a few weeks etc. Are Dice as great for giving us the 'Battle of Jakku' content 'free' after release?
Historically CD Projekt never charged for any DLC expansion yet we have 2 packs and a season pass - no different from other developers. It was nice to get a thank-you letter and some 'extras' in with the packaging as Standard - things often kept for ltd or special editions - although this also had one of those too.
Don't get me wrong, I think CD Projekt Red have done a fantastic job with the development of, for me, the greatest game of this generation so far and for that they deserve the credit - not for some PR stunt.
You could argue that 343 are the best developers in 2015 after all they are not charging for DLC Maps and additional content (although the base game just isn't Halo or good enough (imo) for them to be considered and obviously just on Xbox too so not likely to get mentioned here). There a lot of developers that also continued to update and 'fix' issues post launch too so CD Projekt are not unique in that. It seems common place today that a game going 'Gold' is not the end of the developers input into a game. You could argue that Bungie have done as much (if not more) with its Halloween festivities and Sparrow Racing as well as all the additions (yr1 gear) and patches etc.
Like I said I am not belittling what CD Projekt Red have done as developers, I think they have certainly created the most incredible game in the Witcher 3 (the Witcher 2 was great as well but this is on a completely different level) and set the standard for this generation. For that reason alone they are one of the top development studios.
They really are fantastic and the post launch support has been amazing. Not to mention that their season pass is far better value than Batmans, sorry most other games. Actually their season pass contains more content than both the full release and season pass together of a certain game, "cough, Battlefront".
I feel we should give a special mention to Psyonix too for all the great work on Rocket League leaders, including new arenas and game modes for free. Not to mention for us getting it for free in the first place, many larger developers need to take note on how to treat their customers
@Flaming_Kaiser
To be honest I think Sony wanted to nickel and dime us with Driveclub as well (just my assumption on how the DLC was out on such a frequent basis), but after the horrible launch of that game, I'm guessing they decided to 180 that idea in order to save the title.
CD Projekt Red deserves a nod for sure, their approach has been very consumer friendly, and Hearts of Stone feels like an expansion pack from the late 1990's, even if it is the smaller of the two add ons.
If EA controlled the game, Hearts of Stone would have been double the price, and every piece of add on content post-launch of the main game would have cost something.
@Flaming_Kaiser Fully agree here. Difference is: Driveclub didn't only get DLC, but they actually made the game BETTER, with added features, better graphics, better tuning, and even a new (lower) difficulty level, when the game proved to be too difficult for casual racers. They fought against the stream, despite a horrible start and dishearting (but well deserved) initial reviews.Their studio was almost closed down because of this, but they kept believing, struggled to make their game better, and succeeded. Boy, did they succeed!
For me, Evolution Studios is the better developement studio.
@BAMozzy Doesn't change the fact though, that as stated in the article, the developer's gone against what we typically expect of the industry these days. Yes, it had it's own strategy, and yes, it's put the studio in a very positive light, but I'm not going to argue against free DLC for 16 weeks after the game releases - not when just about every other game that released on PlayStation this year with this sort of budget has pushed crappy season passes and poor optional content.
I also forgot to mention in the article that the game itself comes with a lovely case and a physical map when bought from retail. The little touches help, too.
Hopefully they keep up this attitude when their next game comes out, The Witches 3 was great but Cyberpunk 2077 is 10x more interesting for me.
I love CD Projekt Red because of how they're going against all of the greed that's consuming the industry - they update the game freely, offer good value for money, and are generally really consumer-friendly. What developers and publishers don't seem to get is that if you treat the players well, they'll pay you back in the long run.
Side note: CDPR also run Good Old Games, a really get alternative to Steam that sells every game DRM-free.
I'd go Bethesda, personally I'd have liked the DLC inplace of about a third of the side quest content.
@ShogunRok Given the choice of having all those 16 DLC at launch and in the game or having it drip fed over 8 weeks or so, I would rather have had them all at launch. By the time some of the weapons were released, I already had better gear in my armoury and therefore useless - would have been more useful had they left them in at the launch. The extra quests and treasure hunts felt like they had been ripped out purely for the purpose of this PR stunt and I doubt that they could have 'charged' for these and the cosmetics as either - certainly not without criticism as these rarely appear in game either (hair/beards though did). People would have been very angry if they had charged as they felt ripped out. I doubt anyone agrees with ripping content out to sell back as DLC and personally I wasn't impressed by the PR stunt as I would rather have had that content in from the start instead of being drip fed it back - even if it was 'free'!. I disagree with micro-transactions particularly in AAA full price games anyway.
I can't deny that the additional extras in the 'standard' edition was nice but CD Projekt aren't unique in this. Its rarer nowadays but nothing new.
Granted as a Studio, they have their own philosophy which is a reflection of their Polish background and not conforming to others 'financial' greed. They have a background of pirating games because of the cost/availability and financial situation in Poland at that time. Its certainly had a positive impact on how they conduct themselves now.
I am not denying that their paid for DLC is very good too. Its not exactly a surprise though considering their base game. Its difficult to asses the 'value' compared to others though. Its Season Pass adds an additional 30hrs approx of content for £20 yet for £40 we had around 200hrs with the base game. How many additional hours can a Map pack offer? Maybe more, maybe less - depends on whether you play a lot of online MP or not. I know it costs a lot more to make 'story' based content than it does Map packs and I do agree it makes Arkham Knights DLC Season Pass seem very poor. It maybe half the cost of SW:BF's Season Pass but also has half the number of releases (2 as opposed to 4 packs). SW:BF also seems worse because the base game is also lacking in content. You rarely hear CoD players complain about their Season Pass though. Is it better or worse than Fallout 3's DLC? I know that didn't have a Season Pass but they weren't available then.
Like I said I am not criticising CD:PR for its DLC or Season Pass. I doubt it would be anything but 'great' after all the base game itself, the lore of the Witcher etc is fantastic and why it is many peoples 'Game of the Year'. Had it been 'disappointing' paying £20 for more of the same would be seen as poor value but 30 more hours of a fantastic game is hardly likely to lead to complaint.
As someone who has had experience of CD:PR on console before (the Witcher 2) , I know that they updated their PC version to the 'enhanced' version with its extras for free. I know many developers that continuously patch, update and/or support their games long after they have released too. Dice have recently (or due to) add free content to BF4 and have maintained that game even whilst developing SW:BF but I doubt they get acknowledgement for that. Patching and addressing post launch issues is nothing new and expected these days too.
Basically what I am saying is that I think CD:PR have had more praise for certain things that I don't think they are unique or justify. That doesn't mean that I think they are bad or not one of the top studio's but think they should be judged more on the quality of their games rather than PR stunts. The world they have created, the fact it doesn't seem cut and pasted, the attention to detail, the story, the way this world seems to be dynamic, a living and breathing environment etc is why they are the top developers this year. You can't argue with the developers of the majority of peoples 'Game of the Year'.
Naughty Dog are regarded as one of the Top developers because of their many GotY awarded games - not for PR stunts!
I bought the game but I haven't started it yet. I have to say I was pleased to read their thank you message in the package, as well as seeing small things like the stickers and the map.
The Witcher 3 is absolutely amazing, and CD Project Red did a real good job. I can't wait to see what they do with Cyberpunk 2077.
If I am not mistaken CD Projekt DLC costs money just like another DLC, the small free DLC other companies have also given away small bits of free DLC but without the PR spin.
Still trying to get into this game I won't give up on it--as soon as I opened the game case and found the map, the story primer, the DLC vouchers and the soundtrack CD I knew this was a developer I want to embrace and support. But the game does have something of a learning curve, doesn't it? I feel like I'm dying far more often than I do in most other RPGs.
CD Projekt Red is easily one of my favorite developers now. Although there are quite a few I like.
As for developer of the year? Well, I honestly would give that honor to Nintendo this year, and here's my reason why:
In 2015 they released Splatoon- the single greatest shooter I've ever played. That game alone puts them on the same level as CD Projekt Red this year for me. They also released Xenoblade Chronicles X- the single greatest RPG I've ever played, even better than Witcher 3 (albeit very different styles). They also released Super Mario Maker, which speaks for itself. And they also released Fire Emblem Fates (in Japan). And with its predecessor, Awakening, being my 3rd favorite handheld title of all time (Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate and Xenoblade Chronicles as #1 and #2), this one is sure to be the best SRPG ever made.
It's been an incredible year for Nintendo- very low volume output but all extremely high quality. Granted, it's a bit unfair to compare to Nintendo since they are such a large company with so many development studios.
So I suppose in fairness, comparing individual studios only, I can't really argue with CD Projekt Red. I really can't.
No arguments from me, although special shout outs to Psyonix and Evolution Studios who have both done right by their fans as well.
@Mithrandir How do you mean no DLC they gave more and better DLC then the studio of the Witcher and we still get lots. To be honest I think we get the better DLC from Driveclub. The free stuff from the Witcher was costumes and some quests. I got tons of cars, paintjobs, events. Evoltion studio takes the cake for me.
The free DLC was cool and all, but I actually was more impressed with the packaging. Took me back to the old days. Got a solid map, cool stickers, a manual, a thank you letter and a cool Witcher Key chain, all for the normal price, not a LE or anything. I love when developers throw extra stuff into the packaging. They also made a "sleeve" for the actual game case to slide into, not something you see very often at launch. Just great packaging and a great product all the way around.
Totally forgot about the sound track CDPR and story notes that were there as well. Incredible amount of goods for the normal new game price. IMO though, all retail games should be this way. I hope in the future that If you want you can buy a download only version of a game for 40-50 dollars, or buy the physical version for the normal 60 but that physical version would come packaged like the Witcher was. Maps, stickers, story/art books, sound tracks, collecibles (key chains etc.) . I really think that could be the future of game packaging and pricing.
If you just want the game and nothing else, then you could go the cheaper route and just download it. If it happens to be a game that you are really interested in, or a series you adore, then you can buy the physical version for a little more, but get some cool goodies as well. Maybe I am rambling here folks, lol, it happens when I get tired.
Talking about all this has me hankering to start a new game on the Witcher. Never finished it the first time around but recently I have found a new affinity towards "great" open world games, like Fallout 4. It seems like nowadays alot of the open world games are simple rinse and repeat rubbish, repetitive and dull after you have figured out all the game mechanics. Luckily we have devs like CDPR and Bethesda to show the way.
@BAMozzy "Naughty Dog are regarded as one of the Top developers because of their many GotY awarded games - not for PR stunts!" absolutely agree with you. While one can argue forever on whether they held some of the content back in order to drip it post launch (for the consumer goodwill), they have to be judged on the quality of the game and what they were able to achieve with it (technically, artistically, graphically etc...) - which they have succeed beyond any doubt!
Aren't we confusing best developer with best publisher though? For me, best developer would be the company that released a game that performed great from the get go. The Witcher is a great game, and it's good that CDPR patched the game quickly multiple times, and that's certainly to their credit. I do feel though that Kojima Productions did a far superior job of not needing to patch the game as much, cause it was simply running almost perfectly, at 60FPS, open world etc. (Yes, there was that mission 29 thing, but not much else really). The Witcher still can't sustain a stable frame rate after a ton of patches.
Yes, you can argue dlc policies, microtransactions and season passes, but to me that's decisions on the publisher side, no need for the developer to take the hit. I repeat, I really liked the Witcher, and CDPR are a great company, but strictly as a developer, Kojima Productions takes the crown for me.
CD Projekt are a fine studio that arguably delivered the greatest technical achievement of this year but there are a few things that makes it fall just short for me. While I would never discourage devs from continuing to patch and tweak there games where needed (especially for a game like this) but it's another thing when some patches made the game run worse on PS4 instead of better. Plus the biggest issue I had with them is they didn't own up to the game's graphical downgrade from it's E3 trailers until after the game released.
Psyonix for me are the developers of the year. They put out two betas and encouraged people to talk about it as well as do YouTube videos on it (something certain publishers including Nintendo don't allow). Then a week before launch they give the game to top Twitch streamers in a clever PR move, going on PS Plus helped to further push the game. And when they suffered server overloads they constantly kept people informed on what was happening. Then throw in free arenas and modes and compelling comestic DLC (Back to the Future) there isn't much they did wrong. Honorable mentions to both Evolution Studios and DICE LA for turning games with troubled launchs and making them some of the best games of the generation so far.
Let's not forget that CD Projekt Red proved that it's possible to balance amazing graphics with the largest world that's ever been created. So maybe now all you developers can stop using that tired old excuse and stop trying to sell us games that use the same engine you used on ps3.
I bought the Witcher 3 for PS4 because everyone is talking about how amazing it is.
I decided that I wouldn't play it until I have experienced the first two games, so I bought them for PC and have been playing the first one. The control scheme in the first game is so awful that I am yet to get any enjoyment out of it. Normally I would love the idea that the first game has a minimum play through of about 45 hours, but right now I am dreading it.
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