The Witcher Author Sold Rights To CD Projekt Red For $9,500

That's... uh, shockingly low.

Posted By | On 02nd, Jun. 2017

The Witcher is one of the most successful series of RPGs on the market currently. Based on Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski’s books, the games have managed to captivate gamers worldwide.

However, it has long been known that Sapkowski is not a fan of video games, and that he never believed in The Witcher video games to begin with, foregoing royalties and demanding an upfront payment so that he could cash out and not have to deal with the games’ impending failure that he felt sure was going to come. That upfront payment? $9,500, according to Sebastian Zieliński, former and original head of CDPR.

While it’s a shame that he never got to reap the benefits of the games’ success directly, he really should have negotiated a better contract to begin with. Plus, the ongoing success of the games led to wider international sales and recognition for the books, which must have made him money. And hey, it also led to the Netflix TV show, which he is involved with- so in the end, the games’ success ended up working out well for him after all. If only in a really roundabout way.


Amazing Articles You Might Want To Check Out!

Share Your Thoughts Below  (Always follow our comments policy!)



Keep On Reading!

The Witcher 4 Enters Full Production

The Witcher 4 Enters Full Production

Codenamed Project Polaris, the fantasy action RPG was in pre-production for over two years, and is confirmed t...

Towers of Aghasba Early Access Review – Towerfall

Towers of Aghasba Early Access Review – Towerfall

Moonlit Games' striking visuals and intriguing lore belies a frustrating survival sandbox experience with too ...

Cyberpunk 2077 Has Sold 30 Million Units, Phantom Liberty Crosses 8 Million

Cyberpunk 2077 Has Sold 30 Million Units, Phantom Liberty Crosses 8 Million

CD Projekt RED has shared new sales figures for the action RPG and its expansion, both of which have maintaine...

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s Placement in the Zelda Timeline Has Been Officially Revealed

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s Placement in the Zelda Timeline Has Been Officially Revealed

Unsurprisingly, the game has been placed in the Fallen Hero timeline. It is set between the events of Tri Forc...

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Saw Series’ Biggest First-Month Player Engagement Numbers

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Saw Series’ Biggest First-Month Player Engagement Numbers

In terms of hours played, player numbers, and total matches in its first 30 days, Black Ops 6 is the biggest C...

Alan Wake 2 Developer Working on Improvements for PS5 Pro in Performance Mode

Alan Wake 2 Developer Working on Improvements for PS5 Pro in Performance Mode

Remedy is "still researching a few things", though it will "take the team longer than a few weeks for changes ...