There are strong indications that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will receive a new DLC, reportedly focusing on Zerrikania, with sources from IGN Poland and PPE.pl supporting this anticipation for 2026.

The Friday letters page laments the death of Guitar Hero and rhythm action games, as one reader claims Final Fantasy 8 is his favourite entry.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Perfect timing
It’s hard not to read the report on GTA 6’s progress and not be worried about another delay. My gut tells me they will hit the November release date, just because it’s a good time of the year and people are beginning to lose patience but just imagine what would happen if they released GTA 6 and it was a buggy mess or not that great.

Cyberpunk 2077 proves you can come back from anything, but the press will have a field day with GTA 6 if it doesn’t live up to expectations. And it took a long time for Cyberpunk to recover, during which there was talk of CD Projekt being sold off, so I’m going to guess that’s not the sort of reaction Rockstar and Take-Two want.

The idea that they’ve not yet started polishing does worry me though. It’s easy to assume from that, that either the game’s going to be delayed until 2027 or it will be buggy. The GTA 3 remasters show Rockstar can put out janky rubbish if they think they can get away with it, but I just hope that they have contingencies for all this and realise that not only does GTA 6 need to be perfect but it also has to actually come out at some point.
Zeiss

One or done
I really hope that Fable turns out to be good. It seems so long since the idea of a reboot was first talked about and we’ve seen so little of it in the meantime. Playground Games do good work with Forza Horizon, so I’m hopeful it’ll work, but those are two very different kinds of games.

I imagine that was part of the problem, in it taking so long, but if this doesn’t impress then that’s going to be the end of the franchise, and whatever team was making it (they’ll keep the Forza Horizon people).

It’s really terrible how so often nowadays the failure of a single game can mean the end of a whole franchise and hundreds of job losses. Here’s hoping that the Developer Direct goes well and isn’t a Suicide Squad style disaster.
Wotan

Turbo milking
Maybe I’m just slow but for me Guitar Hero was the point that I realised that the companies in charge of gaming really haven’t got a clue what they’re doing. Activision could’ve kept that franchise running forever – it was super popular when it came out and non-gamers loved it – but instead they ran it into the ground at warp speed and the whole thing was over in just a few years.

I doubt that this new game will do that well because nowadays plastic guitars are just associated with a weird fad that quickly became uncool, but that didn’t have to happen. If they’d taken their time and tried to innovate, they would be more than a one franchise company and music games might not have been killed off before their time.
Focus

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Seasonal gaming
I know it’s unusual, and there is the problem of whether you can get back the same voice actors, but I really like the idea of coming back to a game after a decade or so and giving it new DLC. A new sequel is a good excuse but I’m happy for it at any time, especially when it’s a game as good as The Witcher 3.

I’d love to see new expansions for Skyrim or anything from FromSoftware. Or definitely the story DLC that games like GTA 5 and God Of War never got. If companies are so keen on live service titles then they could create something like it just by constantly giving single-player games new content. I’d much rather that than watch them waste millions on another identikit online shooter.

I never liked the idea of episodic gaming but if they can make them more like TV seasons, where you get a new expansion every year or two, I think that would be a lot more appealing to most people. If the new Witcher 3 expansion is successful then maybe we’ll see it set a trend.
Brammo

Good publicity
I am fascinated to see what MachineGames will be allowed to get away with when it comes to Wolfenstein 3. Things are a lot different now than they used to be and for me the big question is are Bethesda going to sanitise the new game or are they going to push for it to be as anti-Nazi as possible, in order to get as much publicity as possible. We won’t know until there’s an annoucement, but it could go either way.

Speaking of MachineGames, I hope they get to make a Quake game too. It seems like they were training for that for years and I was really looking forward to a single-player game in their usual style, with optional multiplayer, just like the original game. A Rainbow Six Siega knock-off is absolutely not what I want to see from them next.
Limpton
PS: Also, where’s that second bit of Indiana Jones And The Great Circle DLC?

Power paradox
I also think there’s a reasonable (let’s say 50/50) chance of seeing a new mainline Zelda trailer this year. Something less than a minute long and not really showing much, just like they usually do. But show a new Link and a glimpse at a bit of new landscape and you’ll have fans talking for years (including me).

I do think it’s weird that the 40th anniversary is in barely more than a month, though, and there’s no new game. Come to that, Pokémon’s 30th anniversary is also next month, and they don’t seem to have announced anything for that either. Missing one anniversary is no big deal but Nintendo seem to be doing it more than not now, to the point where it just seems completely random when they do acknowledge one.

I think we have to accept that we are in a new era where Nintendo is suffering all the same problems as everyone else and they can’t put out new games as often as they used to. Things take too long now, for everyone, and presumable they’re more expensive for Nintendo too.

That’s not the end of the world, except I worry it’s going to make them more worried about experimenting. We’ve had not a hint of a new IP yet for the Switch 2 (no, Drag x Drive does not count) and I’m not sure who’d bet on when the next one will arrive.

I get that they have to pay the bills, like any other company, but I’m beginning to wish the Switch 2 hadn’t been that much more powerful after all.
Keef

Hateful eight
In all these years I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone talk about remastering Final Fantasy 8, which confuses me as I thought it was generally pretty well liked. Was that just me and the game is secretly hated or something?

I imagine the game’s not easy to remaster, because of the pre-rendered backdrops, but 9 had them as well and there’s been lots of rumours of that getting a glow-up. Admittedly that doesn’t seem to have happened yet, but I’d rather have had 8 anyway.

Am I the only person who thinks it’s their favourite Final Fantasy? I won’t say it’s the best, because it’s probably nostalgia talking, but it is the one I think of first when I think of older games.
Molb

Unknown presents
A little late to the party when it comes to what I got for Christmas, but I wanted to share my experience of opening gaming presents in front of family who don’t game at all.

My wonderful wife got me two gaming presents this year that I had asked for. On the day, when it was my turn to open a present, I first happily opened Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the title of which alone made many eyes glaze over. I briefly explained that it was 2025’s Game of the Year and allowed the present opening to continue.

My turn came again and I open NiGHTS Into Dreams for the Sega Saturn ‘with the special controller you need to get the most out of the game’. Cue the bemused smiles and lack of follow-up questions.

Needless to say, I’m very excited to play both of my gifts. However, when the other side of the family came on Boxing Day and asked what I’d got for Christmas, I showed them the lovely dressing gown and slipper combo I’d received instead.
Ed

GC: NiGHTS Into Dreams is definitely a nice present, it’s worth quite a bit now.

Inbox also-rans
I wish I could be optimistic about the new Life Is Strange game but the last one was such a disaster I’m not sure I’ll even bother trying it. One of the worst sequels I’ve ever played.
Gibson

I’m not going to argue over Mortal Kombat Mythologies being a terrible game but I will say that the Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection was really good. I appreciate the amount of work they put into it and that even the bad games were included. Completeness matters!
Lang440bell

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The small print
New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.

You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.

You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

MORE: Games Inbox: What will be the next big Nintendo Switch 2 reveal?

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More sources have corroborated the rumoured new Witcher 3 DLC, with new leaks suggesting it will feature an entirely new region.

There’s been chatter of The Witcher 3 receiving a new DLC expansion as long ago as last June, but talk has recently ratcheted up thanks to comments made last month by Polish analyst Mateusz Chrzanowski.

On one hand, it’d be weird for The Witcher 3, or indeed any game, to see new DLC almost a decade after the last expansion, but it’s supposedly meant to serve as a bridge that leads into The Witcher 4, which is expected to launch as early as 2027.

The initial rumours made it sound like this DLC will be smaller in scale than the previous expansions, but a new leak suggests otherwise, claiming that the new content will include an entirely new region not seen in the original game.

This is according to IGN Poland, which says it has known about the DLC for a long time, thanks to a tip from a reliable insider. However, it chose not to report on the rumour since it was still only one source.

In the wake of Chrzanowski’s claims, though, IGN Poland has opted to share what it has heard about the DLC, stating that CD Projekt was interested in exploring the desert region of Zerrikania.

IGN Poland adds that there are enough references to Zerrikania in The Witcher 3 to hint that Geralt’s journey could take him there, but it also admits that’s been years since it heard this info, so plans could very well have changed.

It’s certainly possible, since The Witcher 4 is already confirmed to feature the Kovir region, which has snow-topped mountains and is a far cry from a desert.

That said, in a 2024 Easy Allies interview, CD Projekt did say The Witcher 4 will feature multiple regions, suggesting Kovir won’t be the only location you’ll explore in the game.

Whatever the case, it sounds like the DLC will be meatier than first thought. Polish website PPE has also corroborated its existence, saying it was told The Witcher 3 is getting a major content update. However, it hadn’t heard anything about it involving Zerrikania.

As for why this DLC is being made to begin with, Chrzanowski has said it’s essentially so CD Projekt’s upper management can net themselves an extra bonus.

Speaking with Eurogamer, Chrzanowski mentioned an ‘incentive programme’ that grants key employees additional shares so long as certain financial targets are met. And currently, the programme is 700 million złoty short (about £144 million).

‘700 million złoty is needed to meet the first threshold, with only five quarters remaining,’ explained Chrzanowski. ‘This implies the need for something significantly larger than just another update or a version for a niche platform.’

This only lends further credence to the DLC being far more substantial than a free update, which obviously wouldn’t push the needle any further or help the higher-ups make some extra money.

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Comments Add as preferred source

The Tuesday letters page is very sceptical about CD Projekt’s timeline for The Witcher 4, as one reader looks forward to the launch of Metroid Prime 4.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Blocked off
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is no doubt a brilliant game overall. But so far, I am finding the combat so frustrating I am about to give up.

Let me say I am very early in the game (maybe three to four hours in). I have enjoyed the design, the music, the characters, etc. are brilliant so far. I am also really interested in the story, as much as I know so far anyway.

However, I find the combat awful. Specifically, the timings for parrying/dodging. I am quite used to specific timings. I love games like Elden Ring, The First Berserker: Khazan, and Space Marine 2, which all require timings to parry/dodge/block, etc.

But in this game, when to do it just feels random and really frustrating to know. Maybe it’s just me?

I am at the point where I’m not finding the game fun and ready to stop playing, which is a shame. So just wondering if anyone else felt like this and if so, what did you do?
Brand

Eternal appeal
RE: Soldat’s feature. Enjoyed reading this but think the answer – if there is one – lies in which games you show them from the old days.

I used to have an old MAME setup, and the kids really loved Bubble Bobble and multiplayer Gauntlet and Gauntlet 2 but the undoubted winner out of the old school games was… Track & Field. They and their mates went into a frenzy trying to top each other’s high scores and beat the world records. No comments at all about primitive graphics or anything else.

I’ve always thought that graphics age, great gameplay doesn’t.

And if that doesn’t work, visiting retro arcades or the gaming museum in Sheffield might be an idea to show the games off?
Paul

Sensible choice
I do appreciate GC being outraged that Capcom are still not making a new Dino Crisis or remaking it. You would’ve thought with the Jurassic World movies still doing well it’d be more than worth the risk but apparently not.

It may not be a very exciting choice but I’m afraid Dead Rising has a much more solid history of success and, well, it’s zombies. I can’t say I’ve ever particularly liked the ones I’ve played but while more daring than most publishers, in trying risky ideas, they’re not silly.

The sad truth is Dino Crisis has never been a big hit and is about a subject that’s never really sold a lot of games. Compared to that, Dead Rising has been more successful and is about something that’s a very easy sell, whether you’ve heard of the game before or not.

We just have to hope that the next Monster Hunter is an even bigger hit and they have so much money sloshing around that they can afford to be less cautious than usual. I’m not holding my breath though.
Trent

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Running commentary
In response to your reply to Freeway77’s email about cute ‘em-ups I can confirm it’s a term I’ve heard before and there are many great games/franchises that are in that genre. I guess it was probably more of a big thing in Japan but Twinbee, Parodius, Star Parodier and the Cotton series, that the original email, referred to have been around for around four decades.

To any fans of the genre I would recommend the Super Famicom Parodius game with the OTT Japanese commentary, I can’t remember what it’s called though.
John Atkinson

GC: It’s called Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius (aka Live Chat Parodius). These are all famous games, in certain circles, but we’ve still never heard the term cute ‘em-up before and it seems unnecessary.

Killer app
I really can’t agree Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the game of the year. I’m sorry but it’s far from perfect. I’ve played every Assassin’s Creed game to 100% and Shadows isn’t the best by a long shot. There is better games out there.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 isn’t on this planet as a good game; it pains me to say it, but Mario Kart World has to be, for me, that one game that sold the Switch 2. Even though people was moaning about the hardware it was the software and that one game that made gamers say yes, I want one.
David

Time paradox
As much as I love CD Projekt’s games there is something very shifty about that company. I don’t feel they ever really apologies for Cyberpunk 2077’s launch (maybe they did to their shareholders but not to us) and this whole thing about making three The Witcher games in six years makes no sense.

Unless they’ve got a time machine or going to hand the whole thing over to AI (can you imagine!) I don’t see how it’s physically possible. Even Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom, which used the same map as the previous game, took six years, so what gives?

Or is The Witcher 4 trilogy going to be a kind of large scale episodic content, where each one is set in the same game world? Whatever’s going on it’s clearly not the regular way of developing a game. The fastest any of these sort of games can be made nowadays seems to be about five years, so you should really be talking a minimum of 15 years, not six.

I really hope that CD Projekt has discovered some clever new way to get over the problem of games taking to long to make but assuming they’re not using literal magic I hope it’s not something that’s only going to make things worse.

The video games business is in such a strange spot at the moment, I really don’t understand what’s going on.
Billison

GC: It seemed very odd to us too. There is no obvious explanation without more information from CD Projekt.

Milestone release
Unusual to wake to good news, but a new Dead Rising game? Yes, please.

I’m actually just waiting on the Deluxe Remaster for the Xbox to get me to 100K Achievement points. Dead Rising was the first Xbox 360 game, so I thought the remaster would be a fitting game to help me hit the milestone.

I’d actually like to get it to 99,999 but I’d have to work it out and never play the Xbox again, so I’ll abandon that plan. Anyway. Thanks for the good news guys. I just hope it isn’t a letdown like Dead Rising 4 and forces mech suits on you that break after two minutes.
Bobwallett

Indie legacy
The release schedule for this week is pretty packed with games I’m interested. Starting with Marvel Cosmic Invasion, a port of Viewfinder to the Switch, and, of course, Metroid Prime 4 finally coming out.

But among these games there’s also the Simogo Legacy Collection, which I’m hoping doesn’t get lost in the pack.

Simogo makes varied and interesting games and it’s great that they’re bringing out this collection, so their older titles are no longer locked behind legacy releases on mobile.

I’m particularly looking forward to revisiting Year Walk and Device 6 but seeing their older titles that I’ve never played and the extra content is very appealing to.

It looks like they’ve put a lot of effort into this package and it’s really cheap too. I hope GC has time to review it and bring more people’s attention to the games of one of the more interesting devs out there.
Euclidian Boxes

GC: We don’t know that we’ll get around to reviewing the compilation, but their games are great, including Device 6, Year Walk, Sayonara Wild Hearts, and Lorelei And The Laser Eyes.

Inbox also-rans
When can we expect your best games of the year list? I always look forward to it. Also, if you haven’t got one, a database of all your reviews would be great, where you can filter it down into scores, genre, year etc. It’d make it much easier to find some good new games to play.
Bobbleheaddy

GC: We don’t have a filter system like that but our Top 20 of the year is always run over Christmas, usually just before New Year’s Day.

The problem with AI is not enough people care right now but once it takes over, and everything ends up looking and playing the same, suddenly everyone will be upset, but by them it’ll be far, far too late. It’s not going to be pretty
Jonesy

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The small print
New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.

You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.

You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

MORE: Games Inbox: Do you care about AI use in gaming?

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CD Projekt has reaffirmed plans to release three Witcher games within six years, as Cyberpunk 2077 hits a big sales milestone.

The Witcher 4 might be nominated for the Most Anticipated Game at this month’s The Game Awards, but don’t expect it to launch anytime soon.

CD Projekt previously said the sequel, the start of a new trilogy, will not be released before 2027. The studio’s co-CEO Michal Nowakowski has now reaffirmed this in a financial call, while committing to its plan to release all three Witcher games in the planned trilogy within a six year period.

While this might sound ambitious at a time when AAA games are taking longer to develop than ever, Nowakowski cites the studio’s progress using Unreal Engine 5 as a key reason why it should be possible.

‘In a way, yes, I do believe that further games should be delivered in a shorter period of time – as we had stated before, our plan still is to launch the whole trilogy within a six year period, so yes, that would mean we would plan to have a shorter development time between [The Witcher 4] and [The Witcher 5], between [The Witcher 5] and [The Witcher 6] and so on…,’ Nowakowski said.

So if The Witcher 4 does launch in 2027, that means The Witcher 5 and The Witcher 6 could arrive in 2030 and 2033, respectively. This is the best case scenario though, as there’s every chance The Witcher 4 doesn’t arrive until 2028 (or CD Projekt decides to abandon this plan entirely).

This seems an extraordinarily short amount of time to make a giant game like this, especial as CD Projekt made no mention of AI. Perhaps all three games will be set in the same open world, but even so it’s a completely different time frame to every other big name developer working at the moment.

‘As we have already stated, The Witcher 4 is in the full-scale production phase,’ Nowakowski added. ‘We’re not disclosing any details regarding the target release date, so there’s not a point in time I could refer to when answering such a question. The only thing we’re commenting is that we’re not launching in 2026…’

Along with The Witcher 4, a remake of the first Witcher game is in development at developer Fool’s Theory. CD Projekt refused to comment when asked about a potential release date for the remake, but it’s possible it could launch next year as a stop-gap.

While The Witcher 4 is in full production, CD Projekt is also in pre-production on the sequel to Cyberpunk 2077. In the earnings call, the developer confirmed the original game has sold over 35 million copies since it launched on December 10, 2020.

CD Projekt might have news in store for Cyberpunk 2077’s fifth anniversary too. In a post on the game’s official X account, it made a point to highlight the game’s upcoming anniversary on December 10, suggesting some kind of announcement will take place.

The post also shows several in-game character birthdays in December – Solomon Reed and So Mi Song – but considering the same account has done this for other characters in recent months, it’s likely those dates are not signficiant.

It’s unclear what could be announced to celebrate Cyberpunk 2077’s fifth birthday, but some fans are hoping for another sizeable update, like patch 2.3 in July.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season two doesn’t have a release date yet either, so it could turn it into a showcase for other media in the Cyberpunk universe. Either way, we wouldn’t expect too much.

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