CD Project Red has a new deal with The Witcher author Andrzej Sapkowski

Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher series has proven to be a major hit, with Netflix’ The Witcher TV series, CD Projekt Red’s video game series and Sapkowski’s original novel series proving popular both inside and outside of Poland. 

When Sapkowski sold the videogame rights for The Witcher to CD Projekt Red, the writer never imagined the success the series would find worldwide, especially with 2015’s The Witcher 3. He sold the rights to the series with a lump sum payment, believing that a percentage based deal with ongoing royalty payments. 

In an interview with Eurogamer, Andrzej Sapkowski, the creator of The Witcher book series, admitted that selling these rights without a profit-sharing agreement was a mistake, going so far as to call his actions “stupid”. At the time he thought that there would be no profits in a Witcher video game, leading him to sell the rights for a lump sum, instead of a long-term profit-sharing arrangement. 

In 2018, Sapkowski demanded additional payments, citing article 44 of Poland’s copyright law, which can have Poland’s courts examine agreements for “gross discrepancy” between the author’s benefits and the acquirer’s benefits. In early 2019, it seemed like Sapkowski and CD Project Red were close to a new agreement. 

Now, CD Project Red has confirmed that a new agreement has been signed by both parties, “solidifying their relationship”. The terms of this agreement are currently unknown, though CD Projekt Red has confirmed that CD Projekt has gained new rights and that the agreement sets up a framework for future co-operation. 

From the sound of things, Sapkowski will receive royalties from CD Projekt’s The Witcher games, and CD Projekt will be able to create more Witcher content with new, but unknown, rights. The agreement also confirms CD Projekt’s right to “The Witcher” intellectual property in video games, graphic novels, board games, and merchandise.

  

CD Projekt making this deal confirms that the company has plans to create new The Witcher content in the future, making “The Witcher 4” seem likely for next-generation console platforms. Only time will tell how long it will be before we see new games in The Witcher series. 

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