CDPR boss talks acquisition rumours: 'We have ambitious plans'
The last few years have been packed with acquisitions. From Activision Blizzard and Bethesda becoming part of Microsoft to Bungie and Insomniac on the PlayStation side, a lot of fans on either side get bizarrely excited about the future of the industry despite the very real possibility of consolidation.
There are likely plenty more deals being considered behind closed doors, and one name that's constantly appearing from both sets of fans (more through hope than expectation) is CD Projekt Red - but don't expect a move soon.
Don't expect anyone to acquire CD Projekt Red soon
Adam Kiciński, CDPR's current CEO, told Parkiet (via Google Translate) "We have worked our whole lives to get to the position we have now.
"And we believe that in a few years, we will be even bigger and stronger,” he explained.
“We have ambitious plans and we are passionate about what we do. We value independence.”
Kiciński wouldn't rule out CDPR making acquisitions of its own and also noted that staff will likely move between projects as Polaris, the next game in The Witcher franchise, enters full production. Kiciński also expects more hires in 2025.
CDPR boss on lessons learned from Cyberpunk
Click to enlargeOne of the most interesting answers from Kiciński in the interview comes when asked if Polaris has a release date as yet.
"Certainly not," Kiciński says.
"Generally, when it comes to release dates, one of the reflections after the premiere of Cyberpunk is that the dates will be announced later rather than earlier."
"This, of course, does not mean that we will not talk about our titles early enough, because the marketing campaign should be long enough to build great interest in the game."
It's an understandable decision after Cyberpunk 2077's launch which saw the highly-anticipated game become a case study in fan expectations and buggy launches.
Kiciński also says that CDPR doesn't need to "reach for additional sources of financing", noting that the studio's "strategy is well calculated".
What next from CD Projekt Red?
Click to enlargeAside from a Cyberpunk sequel and Polaris in The Witcher franchise, CDPR is working on its own IP.
While Kiciński doesn't give too much away, he does say that "it will be an interesting pop culture concept, fitting both The Witcher and Cyberpunk.
"What I mean is a business that's well placed between these two projects, allowing you to create a big, good open-world RPG while not competing with them."
Another CDPR RPG felt almost impossible after Cyberpunk's launch, but given the game's mammoth 2.0 update and Phantom Liberty expansion have helped it to an impressive resurgence, we're willing to trust again.
