CD Projekt Red, creators of The Witcher games and Cyberpunk 2077, has dismissed claims that it will be acquired by Sony. Rumours about the acquisition started floating around recently, as Sony reportedly signalled that it was looking to bolster its acquisition game at a ‘completely new level.’ The rumour emerged from a Discord post by leaker Liz, who largely specialises in Destiny-based content, claiming that PlayStation has been planning to buy CD Projekt Red and that Days Gone 2 is in development. The latter claim also got shut down by Days Gone director Jeff Ross, who alluded that Sony ‘doesn’t seem to care for it.’
“Nothing has changed on our end,” CD Projekt Red CEO Adam Kiciński, replied to an attendee during the company’s Q1 2023 earnings conference. “So, I can repeat what we have been saying throughout the years… CD Projekt is not for sale. 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 rumour.” For now, CD Projekt Red has multiple projects in development, so acquisition rumours don’t seem as farfetched — a takeover would likely grant them additional resources to hit those deadlines. Coming in first is Cyberpunk 2077’s Phantom Liberty expansion, which will likely be playable at the Summer Game Fest’s Play Days event.
Earlier this month, upcoming The Witcher multiplayer game — codenamed Sirius — underwent a major overhaul, leading to a developmental restart and 29 layoffs at The Molasses Flood (the leading developer on the title). A bit before that, CD Projekt Red filed an impairment charge on the game, which normally suggests writing off assets when they serve near-zero value to the company. Thankfully, the project had simply been re-evaluated and not cancelled. The publisher is also working on a brand-new The Witcher trilogy, developed on Unreal Engine 5, with plans to release the entire saga within six years since the first title drops. A full-blown open-world remake of the original 2007 The Witcher game is also in development by Polish studio Fool’s Theory, consisting of veteran staff from the series.
As mentioned before, the leaker also claimed that Days Gone 2 is in development at Sony, only for the rumour to get denied by director Ross. “I get a little bummed out from these #PlayStationShowcase shows because they only remind me we could have had Days Gone 2 out a month ago if we’d have just stuck to our guns,” he tweeted right after Sony’s digital event, last week. Further down in the replies, he added that a sequel is impossible because too much time had passed and that over 90 people from the original Bend Studio had left.
Last month, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) acquired Firewalk Studios to help build an ‘original AAA multiplayer game’ for PS5 and PC. Their other recent buyouts include Destiny creator Bungie, Returnal developer Housemarque, porting veterans Nixxes Software, and Bluepoint Games — best known for the PlayStation-exclusive remakes of Shadow of the Colossus and Demon’s Souls.