CD Projekt RED
File:Cdprojectred-new-logo.svg | |
Company type | Division of CD Projekt |
---|---|
Industry | Computer and video games Interactive entertainment |
Founded | 2002 |
Founder | Michał Kiciński Marcin Iwiński |
Headquarters | , |
Products | The Witcher series Cyberpunk 2077 |
Number of employees | ~230[1] |
Parent | CD Projekt |
Website | cdprojektred.com |
CD Projekt RED is a Polish video game developer founded in 2002 as a development studio of CD Projekt. The first game the unit produced was The Witcher, based on Andrzej Sapkowski's books.
History
In February 2008, CD Projekt RED's parent company CD Projekt acquired Metropolis Software development studio, which was subsequently merged with CD Projekt RED.[2]
Advocacy
CD Projekt RED is openly against the inclusion of DRM technology in video games and software. The company believes that DRM is not an effective measure of stopping software piracy. It has based these beliefs on the data received from the sale of The Witcher 2. CD Projekt RED found that their initial release, which included DRM technology, had been pirated over 4.5 million times, while the DRM-free re-release saw far lesser pirate-activity.[3] Based on these beliefs, CD Projekt RED has revealed that the next installment in the series, The Witcher 3, will be released without DRM right from the beginning.[4] Another renowned trait of CD Projekt RED's policies within the gaming industry is the use of free patches and updates to enhance their products post-release, as opposed to the paid DLC model used by many other developers and publishers.
Games developed
Year | Game | Platform(s) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2007 | The Witcher | Microsoft Windows, OS X | Enhanced Edition released in 2008 |
2011 | The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings | Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, OS X, Linux | Enhanced Edition released in 2012 |
2014 | The Witcher Adventure Game | Microsoft Windows, OS X, Android, iOS | Digital edition of tabletop game Co-developed with Can Explode |
2015 | The Witcher Battle Arena | iOS, Android | Free-to-play MOBA game for mobile devices |
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | An open-world RPG set in The Witcher universe | |
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Heart of Stone | Expansion pack to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | ||
2016 | The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine | ||
TBA | Cyberpunk 2077 | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | An open-world RPG based on the Cyberpunk 2020 role-playing game |
Games cancelled
After the launch of the The Witcher in 2007, CD Projekt RED had a few projects in development. Most of the games were cancelled as a result of massive financial problems that CD Projekt had during the economic crisis of 2009-2010.
In 2008, CD Projekt RED merged with Metropolis Software, the other Polish game developer placed in Warsaw. During that time, Metropolis Software was working on a first person shooter called They. The game was put on hold in 2009 with the merger of the Metropolis Software studio, when CD Projekt was struggling with a financial problems during the economical crisis. Later it was revealed[5] that with CD Projekt RED input, They was supposed to differ from the original vision of Metropolis Software and be much more story-driven, inspired by games like BioShock or Half-Life 2.
CD Projekt RED was also planning[6] to publish two expansion packs for the original The Witcher. Both expansions was focused purely on the story and cancelled before they were ever officially announced. CD Projekt was interested in creating additional content for The Witcher in the same way that the premium mods were made for the original Neverwinter Nights and contacted two developers recommended by BioWare. The first expansion was called The Witcher: Scars of Betrayal and was in development at Ossian Studios, known as the developer of Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate adventure pack for Neverwinter Nights 2. Scars of Betrayal was a stand-alone story set in the small village of Kurcova, where Geralt was to be caught in a web of intertwined intrigue and complex interpersonal relationships. The second expansion, called The Witcher: Outcast, was in development at roXidy, the developer of the Neverwinter Nights premium module Wyvern of Cormyr. The story was set in the island Faroe on the Skellige Islands archipelago, one of the locations that was included in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
See also
References
- ^ "Our History". cdprojektred.com. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
- ^ Kalista, Randy (18 February 2008). "Metropolis Software and CD Projekt form super Central European development house". GamingNexus.com. Retrieved 31 March 2009.
- ^ Griffiths, Daniel Nye (18 November 2012). "'The Truth Is, It Doesn't Work' - CD Projekt On DRM". Forbes.com. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
- ^ Iwinski, Marcin (30 October 2013). "No DRM in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - an open letter to the community". CD Projekt RED. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
- ^ "Eksluzywny wywiad z Michałem Kicińskim". Polygamia.pl. 29 April 2009. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
- ^ "Ossian Studios Interview". Gamebanshee.com. 17 April 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
External links