CD Projekt Red owes much of its success to The Witcher franchise. It was this series that got them the seed money to establish themselves as a full-fledged developer studio. And they are now looking to create another epic franchise with an entirely new theme. But do their previous numbers justify the time they are dedicating to Cyberpunk 2077?
The Witcher series has met with great success in the past and still maintains positive numbers to this day. The first game in the series, between its original and Enhanced Edition, has sold a little over 2 million copies. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings sold over 1 million copies in just three months back in 2011, with the total number reaching over 6 million currently. Wild Hunt, the third installment, managed to sell more than 4 million units in its first week on shelves.
The developers have reported previously that altogether the series has sold over 25 million copies.
Cyberpunk 2077 and Development
In Cyberpunk 2077, you are an elite member of Max-Tac aka Psycho Squad. You wield special weapons and combat Psychos throughout Night City. Psychos themselves are individuals driven insane by cybernetic implants or overuse of stimulants.
Cyberpunk 2077 was first announced back in 2013, with work having started just months before in the previous year. The teaser trailer doesn’t reveal much as CD Projekt Red wants to keep things hush hush until they are ready to reveal what they have.
The Next Blockbuster?
During a gaming seminar, Adam Kicinski walked on stage and has this to say about his team’s new project:
“Cyberpunk is our new Witcher 3, but even more ambitious. Our goal is to establish a new blockbuster franchise from the beginning. We work in a new universe, futuristic universe. We believe it’s very appealing to players, not only RPG players but this is a true RPG, like Witcher, like Witcher 3, for mature audiences.”
While I have not had the pleasure of playing The Witcher and other installments, I do look forward to the team’s work on the new dystopian Cyberpunk world. As of this writing there is no current date of release, and the development team will not give one when asked. Watch the trailer and the release is given in four words: “Coming… When it’s ready.”
