Last night, on October 8, it became known about the conclusion of a deal between CD Projekt RED and the Canadian studio Digital Scapes. The latter should help the authors of The Witcher in the development of their new role—playing blockbuster – Cyberpunk 2077. We answer the question: why did she do it?
We are not talking about a purchase yet, but about a long-term strategic cooperation. What exactly Digital Scapes will do is not completely clear. The official press release only mentions that the studio will focus on creating and optimizing technical solutions for the game.
More interesting is the fact of the agreement itself. The fact is that CD Projekt RED has already attracted a second third-party team to work on Cyberpunk 2077 this year. In March, the Polish studio acquired the company Strange New Things, formed from former employees of Techland and IO Interactive. The purpose of the takeover was to accelerate the development of a futuristic shooter.
A series of similar deals suggests that CD Projekt RED is afraid of not having time to finish the game next year. But for the company, the release of the project in 2019 is critically important. Despite the rapid growth of market capitalization in 2018, its sales without strong new releases have fallen for the second year in a row.
To slow down the decline or even give a short-term boost in the fourth quarter of this year should be the appearance on sale of the isometric role-playing game “Blood Feud: The Witcher. Stories”, suddenly announced this summer. But for the company, most likely, it is nothing more than a “transshipment” project, with which CD Projekt RED seeks to plug an empty release window.
In the event of a significant drop in sales and the postponement of the release date of the expected blockbuster amid rising development and marketing costs, it is likely that by 2020 the company may face the fact that its revenue will go into negative territory. Plus, such a situation may affect the company’s market valuation.
Both the first and the second CD Projekt RED strives to avoid by all means.
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