The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has proven to be a runaway success for developer CD Projekt RED as not only has the game topped sales charts for the month of May, but critics and fans alike have given the game universal appraise. Part of that goodwill can be applied to the developers consumer friendly business practices which include making statements against online DRM practices and providing free post-launch content to players who have picked up a copy of their game.

After adding 16 pieces of free DLC for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt since launch, the developer shifted focus onto completing work on the first major story expansion called Hearts of Stone. With only a name to go on since it was announced as part of the expansion pass, CD Projekt RED has finally released new information about the expansion including a trailer and the long awaited news of its release date.

Taking to his Twitter followers, Marcin Momot, Community Lead & Website Coordinator at CD Project RED, provided a number of new details about the upcoming expansion including its release date of October 13. The new content sees Geralt of Rivia back in the town of Oxenfurt to finish a contract for an individual known as The Man of Glass. Like the core game, player decisions during the 10+ hours of content will shape the story and ultimately the final ending.

The Witcher 3 is a game packed with content going as far as pushing many players beyond 200 hours to fully complete the game. To help ease confusion over when the expansion can be accessed within the story, Momot confirmed that players can start playing the new content either during or after the main story, though the enemies and quests in the expansion will be balanced for those who are around level 30. New Game + players will also see the content scaled up appropriately.

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Interestingly enough, the developer is also planning a boxed version of Hearts of Stone which will retail at $19.99 in select regions. The box will contain a download code and two physical decks of Gwent Cards, the popular card game from The Witcher 3, focused around the Monsters and Scoia’tael factions. Alternatively, players will also be able to purchase the cards directly from CD Projekt RED, though a price point has not yet been revealed.

Through the large offering of free post-launch updates already, fans have been able to access a variety of new content including quests, character outfits, and most recently, New Game +. While the studio expressed an interest in adding this feature down the road, fan feedback helped push the studio to make this a reality much sooner, letting players take hard earned recipes, experience, and equipment into a new playthrough.

Are you guys still working through the sizable content of The Witcher 3 or are you ready to sink your teeth into new content? Let us know your thoughts below in the comments.

The Witcher 3 Hearts of Stone expansion launches on October 13, 2015 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

Source: Marcin Momot Twitter