Will The Witcher 1 Remake be Free? No – And Here‘s Why
As an avid gamer and industry commentator, this is a question I‘ve seen raised in the community since the remake of The Witcher 1 was announced. There‘s an expectation that because the original 2007 game was recently made free on GOG, surely the fancy new remake will follow suit. But sadly, I don‘t believe that will be the case.
Having analyzed the success metrics of the wider franchise, examined typical remake pricing models, and weighed up the presumed development costs, my assessment is that The Witcher 1 remake will not be free when it launches.
In this deep dive article, I‘ll break down exactly why I‘ve come to that conclusion across a few key factors. Strap in!
Background – The Witcher Renaissance
First, let‘s recap what we know about this remake so far. Officially titled The Witcher Remake, it was announced in October 2022 as a new interpretation of 2007‘s The Witcher. The game is being rebuilt from scratch on Unreal Engine 5 by Polish studio Fool‘s Theory, with support from CD Projekt Red.
We don‘t have a release window yet. But CDPR did tease the below image, showing familiar locales now gorgeously rendered with modern graphics.
So why remake the 15 year old original, when Witcher 3 still looks and plays fantastically? Well, since that masterpiece dropped in 2015, the franchise has skyrocketed to global stardom.
Get this – Witcher games have now sold over 65 million copies worldwide. Netflix boosted momentum further with their hit live-action show introducing Geralt to new fans. In Poland, Witcher 3 recently re-entered the sales charts 7 years post-launch!
This ‘Witcher Renaissance‘ means there‘s renewed interest in the early chapters of Geralt‘s story. Thus CDPR are remaking the adventure that started it all for modern platforms.
Why Free Release Doesn‘t Add Up
We‘ve established that The Witcher IP is in high demand. Thus for CD Projekt Red, this remake is a major commercial opportunity.
Looking at pricing precedents, very few full-scale remakes are given away free permanently. Instead, they carry premium price tags reflecting their often exorbitant development costs.
A few examples:
- Resident Evil 2 Remake – $59.99
- Final Fantasy 7 Remake – $59.99
- Dead Space Remake – $69.99
These are all established blockbuster franchises like The Witcher. Their remakes entailed rebuilding aging classics entirely from scratch. Each still charged full retail rates despite updated assets.
Indeed, a 2021 survey found only 28% of gamers expect remakes to be cheaper than original releases. With average development budgets ranging from $10 million up to $100 million+, free distribution simply isn‘t commercially viable.
So could The Witcher 1 remake buck this trend? In my view, that‘s highly unlikely…
Astronomical Development Costs
Built completely from the ground up. An open world structure rather than linear chapters. Next-gen graphics powered by Unreal Engine 5. Extensive new gameplay systems, animations, cutscenes and content…
This is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious remakes ever constructed. Hundreds of developers toiling away for potentially 4+ years. That doesn‘t come cheap!
While we can‘t know exact budgets, we can reasonably speculate based on the scale. For context, The Witcher 3 had a dev budget exceeding $81 million back in 2015. Almost a decade later, costs have only ballooned for top tier studios.
Conservatively, I‘d estimate the Witcher 1 remake budget at $50 – $100 million. Possibly more given its technological leap over Witcher 3.
For reference, 2010‘s Mafia 2 cost $50 million including marketing. Hellblade in 2017 cost $60 million total. The Dead Space remake this year cost over $100 million.
Given it‘s building WAY more content than any of those, I don‘t believe $100 million is unreasonable for the Witcher 1 remake.
At those astronomical rates burned through per year of full-on development, releasing free simply doesn‘t make financial sense.
Sounds Like $59.99 To Me…
Obviously we‘re speculating without official word from CDPR. But based on typical remake pricing and the sheer ambition we‘re seeing, I‘d wager a bet on the below:
$59.99 standard pricing
- Benchmark rate for AAA single-player epics
- Fair value equation given production values
- Matches Witcher 3 and recent remake price tags
$10 more for "next-gen" tax
- Up to $69.99 on PS5/Xbox Series X
- Justifies heightened dev costs
- Additional revenue to recoup spend
Deluxe editions up to $129.99
- Collector extras like art books/soundtracks
- Super fans will splash for merch/memorabilia
This is squarely in-line with existing market pricing models. Particularly as the Witcher IP joins gaming‘s big leagues after the Netflix effect.
While discounts could follow post-launch, I don‘t foresee CDPR just giving away a 4+ year endeavour and multi-million dollar investment on day one.
The Bottom Line
I‘d absolutely love for the Witcher 1 remake to release completely free. I‘m sure many other fans would too. But when you analyse the financials and incentives at play, that sadly appears to be a pipe dream.
Between astronomical dev budgets and booming franchise revenues, charging full price makes the most business sense for CD Projekt Red. Of course I‘ll gladly eat my words if they announce otherwise! But compilers of "free games" lists probably shouldn‘t bank on it…
What do you think – will I be shelling out $59.99 or more? Given the ambition on show, I know many fans would pay even higher premiums for this remake done right. Let me know your thoughts and predictions on Twitter or in the comments!
