The Witcher 3 sells 6m copies in six weeks
And had a development budget of ?53m, CD Projekt reveals.
CD Projekt has announced that The Witcher 3 sold 6m copies in six weeks.
As of the financial period ending 30th June the exact count was 6,014,576 copies sold. We're nearly two months on now, so presumably it's significantly higher.
The company revealed the numbers in a financial presentation and summary of a board report.
Apparently there have been 1m activations of The Witcher 3 on CD Projekt's game download shop GOG.
CD Projekt also revealed the game's development budget as 306m PLN (£53m). It said it had made a net profit of 236m PLN (£41m) during the first-half of 2015. Among the reasons cited for The Witcher 3's success were "open and honest communication with players".
"One could think we have six million reasons to be happy and that's it. We do, but that number is also a big responsibility and I want everyone to know that we, as a studio, realise that," said head of studio Adam Badowski in a statement to the community. "For us, all your high praise, all the positive reviews, are also an obligation -- we've made a really good game but there's still a long road ahead of us.
"Everyone here in CD Projekt Red is really attached to their work and how you, the gamers, perceive it. Red is full of artists, wild dreamers and people crazy about what they do (and sometimes just plain crazy). We lose sleep over that particular colour the sun has when it sets over Velen, and argue over arranging the furniture in a house the majority of gamers will probably never see. We're not the kind of people who are easily satisfied and we always strive for more. I'd like you to know that.
"Yes, six million copies is a great achievement for a company making RPGs, but this business is not only about that. If our games are a gallery of sound, picture and text - you are the visitors of this gallery. To an artist, there's no sweeter sight than people enjoying their work. That's why, in the name of all the devs in the studio, I'd like to say thanks to each and every one of you."
I travelled to CD Projekt HQ in Warsaw, Poland, and watched while The Witcher 3 launched. I wrote a long piece about it. In it, I talk to CD Projekt co-founder Marcin Iwinski about the company's future. He says the future can either be good or "f***ing amazing", depending on Witcher 3 sales. I think it's safe now to assume it's the latter.
Two paid Witcher 3 expansions are in the works. The first, Heart of Stone, arrives in October, and will be around 10 hours in length. The second, Blood & Wine, arrives in the first quarter of 2016, and is around 20 hours in length. I found out a bit more about these expansions earlier in the year.
The Witcher 3 was released for PC, PS4 and Xbox One, worldwide, on 19th May.
