CD Projekt and The Witcher author Andrzej Sapkowski have forged an agreement that ensures CD Projekt Red can continue to use Sapkowski’s creation, ending a disagreement that sprung up last year.
CD Projekt and The Witcher author Andrzej Sapkowski have forged an agreement that ensures CD Projekt Red can continue to use Sapkowski’s creation, ending a disagreement that sprung up last year.
Details aren’t offered in CD Projekt’s notice of the agreement, and it's unlikely any will surface elsewhere. The company simply notes that the undisclosed deal “solidifies and reinforces the Company’s relationship with” Sapkowski and “fully clarifies the requirements and expectations of both parties” with both past and future video games, graphic novels, board games, and merchandise in consideration.
The dispute began when Sapkowski reached out to CD Projekt in 2018 with the demand that he receive $16 million in additional compensation for the company’s continued use of the property he originally created.
The two parties had originally forged an agreement that allowed for CD Projekt’s legitimate use back in 1997, but at the time Sapkowski opted for one lump payment rather than a deal that would see him reap continued gains off the series’ success as a video game. He had done so, according to a 2017 Eurogamer interview, based on the belief that The Witcher games wouldn’t succeed.
As of this summer, CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher games have sold over 40 million copies and, as of last month, were cited as the driving forces behind the company’s rising revenue.
If the finalized deal resembles the one that reportedly started to take form earlier this year, Sapkowski will have received additional compensation for the use and success of his intellectual property, but well under the $16 million originally sought.
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