The Witcher 3 update disables some mods and incorporates others
The upcoming next-gen update for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will have certain implications for the game’s mods on PC. CD Projekt Red checked a list of mods and not all of them will work after the update. Certain mods will be part of the update.
The developer reports in a blog post that updating a game means changing all kinds of files, so the mods that specifically change those files will no longer work. The company emphasizes that this cannot be avoided and that the development team has prioritized making the update as good as possible and not minimizing change in order to preserve the mods as much as possible.
Nevertheless, CD Projekt Red wants the transition to be as smooth as possible, even though the last PC update was about six years ago, which means that quite a few players have become accustomed to their favorite mods. To make this transition as smooth as possible with PC mods in mind, the developer has selected the most popular mods and checked whether they still work after the update.
This list with findings has been published. A mixed picture emerges from this. The majority appear to be incompatible, but there are still a reasonable number of mods that appear to function. In many cases, a script error is the cause of a mod no longer working after the update. CD Projekt Red explains that the addition of a new quest changes scripts in the update, causing script-based mods to often error. As a solution, the developer refers to, for example, the Script Merger tool. The developer’s mod experts will also offer help on forums after release.
In addition, several popular, unnamed mods are part of the update, but whether they are all available depends on the platform used. CD Project Red has permission from the makers for this incorporation. The original creators have also been compensated and their names are included in the credits. These mods have been improved and adjusted where necessary. According to the developer, in one case this went so far that the specific part of the game that the mod focuses on was given a remake. In this sense, some mods have become part of the game by default after the update. This update will be released on December 14th.