‘The Witcher 3’ Game Of The Year Edition Inbound For PS4, Xbox One, And PC

The Witcher 3 is one of the best role-playing games available for the current generation of the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Developer CD Projekt Red confirmed Wednesday the title will be getting a Game of the Year Edition to wrap up all the DLC releases and expansions in a single pack.

An age rating classification on Germany’s Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body (USK) was first spotted by Twitter user lifelower for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Game of the Year Edition for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. This was followed by a statement from CD Projekt Red to Eurogamer confirming that the new release is coming.

“The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was a gigantic effort for the entire studio, and both the team and me were amazed by the good reception of Geralt’s adventures. Since launch, we’ve released two expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, which added a lot of new adventures to the already potent mix,” Game Director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz told the gaming website.

“With all the free DLC and updates the game received so far, including significant changes to the game’s interface and mechanics, many gamers have asked us if we’re working on some sort of a Game of the Year Edition. I’m happy to confirm – yes, plans are in motion to release such an edition. We’ll release more details, including the release date, in the future. In the meantime, I’d like to thank every fan of the game for their support – you’re really amazing!”

A release date has not been announced for The Witcher 3 – Game of the Year Edition, but Eurogamer’s sources point toward an August 26, 2016, release in Europe. This would likely mean an August 23 release in North America.

The Hearts of Stone expansion was originally released for The Witcher 3 in October 2015. The new story sees Geralt take up a contract from an immortal man named Olgierd von Everec. Through a series of misadventures, players find themselves faced with a crucial choice for Geralt to make at the end.

The first The Witcher 3 expansion received high marks from review aggregator Metacritic. It received a 90 review score average across all three platform with praise for new customization mechanics, a superb story, and 10 hours worth of content to explore.

Meanwhile, the Blood and Wine expansion received even more praise than its predecessor. Released at the end of May this year, the add-on takes place years after the events from the main campaign. Geralt is offered a contract to hunt a monster killing knight in the Toussaint, a France-like vassal duchy that is part of the Nilfgaardian Empire. Players will solve the mystery with three different possible endings.

The Metacritic review scores for Blood and Wine were all over 90, with the Xbox One version receiving a 94. The final DLC for The Witcher 3 was praised for being a new flawless sendoff for Geralt with a compelling plot and vast new area to explore. The dozen-plus number of hours that can be spent in the expansion nearly makes it a standalone game.

Presumably, The Witcher 3 – Game of the Year Edition will cost the normal $60 retail price when launched. It is definitely worth the value as the Expansion Pass for the game costs $25 by itself and Blood and Wine is $20 when purchased separately. The game also comes with several free expansions, such as a New Game+ mode, but it will be interesting to see what else CD Project Red packs into the definitive release of the role-playing title.

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[Image via CD Projekt Red]