Witcher 3 Blood and Wine expansion 'more refined' than full game

Recently, a CD Projekt Red developer said The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's upcoming Blood and Wine expansion was, in some ways, "better than the main game." Now, the Polish studio has provided some additional context and clarification around that comment. CD Projekt Red marketing lead Michal Platkow-Gilewski tells GameSpot that Blood and Wine is not necessarily "better" than the main game, but it should feel "more refined."

"Blood and Wine is the sum of all the experiences we gained when creating Wild Hunt, so it's definitely more refined than Wild Hunt in many regards, but that doesn't mean it's better per se," he said.

Platkow-Gilewski went on to say players can look forward to all manner of new monsters, quests and places of interest in Blood and Wine. He also notes that Blood and Wine's new realm, Toussaint, rivals the size of those found in the base game. But he wouldn't get drawn into a debate about what's "better."

"I wouldn't point fingers at what's better separately, as each addition to Wild Hunt (including over 10 updates we've released so far) enriches the overall experience you get from The Witcher as a game in general," he said. "The base game with the expansions is simply better than without them."

CD Projekt Red previously said The Witcher 3's two expansions, combined, amount to "almost the size of The Witcher 2." Blood and Wine is expected to offer around 20 hours of gameplay, which is double what October's Hearts of Stone had for players.

The expansion was first slated to arrive in Q1 2016 (January-March), but has now shifted to the first half of 2016 (January-June). A specific release date has not been announced.

Blood and Wine's first images (above) were released in December, showcasing the colorful all-new region of Toussaint. CD Projekt Red isn't yet talking specifics, saying only that the expansion will "take Geralt to a land untainted by war, where an atmosphere of carefree indulgence and knightly ritual masks an ancient, bloody secret." It will also include new gear and enemies, as well as characters who are "both new and dearly missed."

The Witcher 3 took home its first major Game of the Year award in December at The Game Awards. The RPG has also been nominated for that honor at the upcoming Game Developers Choice and D.I.C.E. awards. In addition, it's up for a Writers Guild of America award.

The latest major update for The Witcher 3 was released this past week, fixing a number of bugs and improving the "general game performance." As of August 2015, The Witcher 3 had sold 6 million copies.