You won’t need a 32GB download
Often times when a game comes to Switch physically, publishers have the option to cheap out on cart storage sizes and deliver solutions that are too small to actually fit the game. Instead, we’re tasked with downloading massive file sizes that take up precious storage space: something Switch owners are generally trying to avoid when buying physical (by comparison, PS4 and Xbox One require you to download the game to your HDD even with a disc).
For The Witcher III of all games, you won’t have to do that. CD Projekt Red (and by proxy, port studio Saber Interactive) has clarified since the reveal of their Witcher III Switch port that the entire game, including all DLC, will fit on one 32GB Switch cart. Other details: this version includes both expansions and “16 DLCs,” and it’ll run at 540p resolution in handheld mode, and 720p docked. For reference, one of the only Switch games that used a 32GB cart was the Final Fantasy X/X-2 Remaster in Asia regions only: the west was downgraded to 16GB. Another reference: GOG lists the GOTY edition of Witcher III as a 35GB download, so this isn’t much of a stretch for a 32GB cart with compression.
As expected, cross-save will not be supported, so you’ll have to start over from scratch. Still! This is The Witcher III: it’s something you’re going to be playing and coming back to for years to come. Why not add a portable option into the mix?
The Witcher [Twitter]
