CD Project Red has a new deal with The Witcher author Andrzej Sapkowski

[WYP]

CDPR has new rights, and Sapkowski, probably, has more money.



Read more about CD Project forming a new deal with The Witcher's author Andrzej Sapkowski.

 

[Greenback]

Tbf the success of the witcher was down to the way CDPR made it

 

[NeverBackDown]

He didn't deserve more money. But is what it is

 

[WYP]

Tbf the success of the witcher was down to the way CDPR made it

Agreed, but you can't deny that the author made an excellent universe for some RPG action. CD Project are great storytellers, but their biggest games aren't using universes that they created.

He didn't deserve more money. But is what it is

That's debatable, and legally speaking, Polish Copyright law gave him the ability to have courts look at the old agreement. He was well within his rights to say the deal became unfair.

Was he a fool to create the old dead? Yes. Is he making more money from his books (and Netflix) because of CD Project's Success? Yes. Should he ask for more money from the videogames because he got an unfair deal? I don't know.

With article 44 of Poland's Copyright laws, he was legally allowed to have a court reexamine their contract. While it is true that CD Project Red created this "gross discrepancy" due to their own success, it is what it is.

"In the event of a gross discrepancy between the remuneration of the author and the benefits of the acquirer of author's economic rights or the licensee, the author may request that the court should duly increase his remuneration."

Ultimately, both sides have agreed and CD Project seems to have more freedom while Sapkowski has a better deal. Everybody wins.

I just think that people are underselling how much the creation of a solid universe impacts a big RPG like The Witcher. There's a reason why Cyberpunk is based on an existing IP with a lot of pre-done worldbuilding.

 

[NeverBackDown]

Don't really care what the law says though. He's benefiting from someone else's success. It's basically saying hey you earned more money than me. I'm taking you to court to get even. Don't care if it's legal or not. It's called business and if you make a bad mistake you shouldn't have a cop out to bail you out.

I've read all the books I don't underestimate it at all but I think you're underestimating how much work CDPR went through to fill out his world. Yes it was based off something but it's no where near as detailed as the games are. They brought the world around the story alive and MADE UP plenty of missions/sidequest that have nothing to do with what has been written.

 

[ImprovizoR]

He's benefiting from someone else's success.

It's mutual. New deal is a good thing for gamers. Sapkowski could have sold the rights to someone like EA or Bethesda.

The remarkable thing about the games is that they are written way better than the books. I like the books, but I don't harbor any illusions about them being more than average.

 

[WillSK]

I can see both sides to this.

Did he make a bad deal, Yes and that is entirely his fault as he didn't realise there was more money in it so was happy to take a lump sum.

Does he deserve more money/ a new deal? At this point, I think CDProjekt RED have earned enough to say yes he probably does for creating such lucrative source material. However, this should be out of good will on CDProjekt RED's part and not because they should be forced to. I'm sure he was v satisfied with his lump sum at the time.

Not everyone can be a deal making genius like Alec McGuinness (the original Obi Wan Kenobi)