CDPR tries its hand at F2P with standalone version of The Witcher's Gwent

Polish developer CD Projekt Red is dipping a toe into the waters of console/PC free-to-play game design with Gwent, a standalone digital version of the collectible card (mini)game in the studio's 2015 hit The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

We already had an inkling that CDPR was interested in producing a digital CCG based on Gwent, but the fact that it's now been pitched to the world as a free-to-play venture is notable -- and perhaps unsurprising, in light of Blizzard's remarkable success with F2P digital CCG Hearthstone. 

CDPR aims to launch Gwent into beta later this year ahead of a full release across PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. It will be the studio's first console/PC F2P game, though it has already tried the scheme on mobile with the (now defunct) iOS/Android MOBA The Witcher Battle Arena. 

Gwent may be entering a slightly crowded market, as Bethesda's own digital CCG, Elder Scrolls Legends, is currently in beta and is also expected to release this year. For more on how the original Witcher 3 minigame was created, check out this talk from the Gwent designers.