CD PROJEKT RED reports that consolidated revenue from the two games in 2022 totaled roughly $222 million. While this is only the company’s second-best year it is of note due to Cyberpunk 2077 being released in 2020 and The Witcher 3 in 2015. Both games have experienced increased popularity in recent years thanks largely due to Netflix. The Witcher series saw its premier several years ago and was followed by an anime film (Nightmare of the Wolf), and more recently, a spin-off attempt. Cyberpunk 2077 had a very successful anime release (Edgerunners) which was credited with a resurgence in interest in the game.
From CD PROJEKT RED:
– The popularity of the series and the positive reception of the update, released a week before the premiere, had a notable effect on Cyberpunk sales and general sentiment around the game, as evidenced by gamers’ reviews. This is a clear sign that deeper involvement in our franchises and expanding their reach is the right way to go. Another important event supporting the Cyberpunk franchise will be the release of Phantom Liberty – a large expansion scheduled for this year – says Adam Kiciński, CEO of CD PROJEKT.
Additionally, both games have continued to get updates adding both content and modern technological features. Cyberpunk 2077 experienced one of the worst launches in the last decade but CD PROJEKT RED remained true to its new franchise with continued patching to improve the game vastly. Although still not perfect, many consider the game to be in a good state now. Meanwhile, The Witcher 3 was recently overhauled into DirectX 12 and had ray tracing along with texture upgrades incorporated into it. It too had a bit of a rough re-launch but has also been getting patches to improve it.
Plans for the future
CD PROJEKT RED has already stated it is working on new Witcher games and the Phantom Liberty DLC is expected in 2023 for Cyberpunk 2077. It has also announced expansion plans for a new studio in North America. Other plans include adding multiplayer elements for future games while expanding its franchises with its partners. CD PROJEKT RED reports that a significant portion of the profits from 2022 is being invested into future projects.
“Thanks to solid sales of Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3 our consolidated revenues reached 953 million PLN, with over 347 million PLN in net profit. A large portion of this profit – over 200 million PLN – was invested in our future development projects – says Piotr Nielubowicz, Vice President and CFO of CD PROJEKT.”