Despite rumors to the contrary, it turns out PlayStation isn’t buying CD Projekt RED, makers of The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077. CDPR CEO Adam Kiciński said in the company’s latest earnings call that the studio isn’t for sale, regardless of who may be interested (thanks, VGC).
“I can repeat what we have been saying throughout the years – CD Projekt is not for sale,” Kiciński said. “We want to remain independent. We have, I believe an excellent strategy. Not easy to execute, for sure, but it’s very exciting to follow our own path. So it’s a pure rumor.”
Rumors of this kind became more common after Microsoft announced its intention to buy Activision-Blizzard in 2022, which seemed to kick off a spree of acquisition announcements from major publishers, including Sony. Consumers speculated and even hoped that small-to-mid-sized publishers, including Capcom, Square Enix, and CDPR, might get swept up by the likes of Sony or Microsoft, though why this was a desirable thing wasn’t always clear.
And it turns out none of the publishers really needed someone to buy them. Capcom announced record sales thanks to Monster Hunter and Resident Evil 4, and Square Enix is gearing up to release Final Fantasy 16 in June 2023, after announcing new IP during the May State of Play presentation.
CDPR, meanwhile, is working on several new Witcher projects and plans to show Phantom Liberty, the Cyberpunk 2077 DLC, during Summer Game Fest.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF
