CD Projekt Red Wants to Be More Than Just a Game Studio – They Want to Become a Global Pop Culture Creator

CD Projekt Red—the studio behind The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077—is thinking bigger than just video games. The Polish company is looking to expand into movies, TV shows, books, and more, all while keeping gaming at the heart of its strategy.

In a candid interview with Polish outlet XYZ, the company's new leaders Michał Nowakowski and Adam Badowski shared what's next for the studio they've helped build over two decades. Both took over in January 2024 after longtime leader Adam Kiciński stepped down.

From RPG Kings to Entertainment Powerhouse

"We once dreamed of becoming the [TV/movies] producer of the best RPG games in the world," Nowakowski told XYZ. "Over time, we realized that this can only be done for a very short time after the game is released."

The company now has bigger plans. "We want to become a global creator of pop culture and entertainment – with games at the center," Nowakowski explained. This could include films, TV series, animations, and books.

CD Projekt has already taken steps in this direction with "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners," an anime series created with Japanese studio Trigger for Netflix in 2022. The show was highly successful, earning a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.3 score on IMDb.

According to Nowakowski, this anime series is "just a foretaste of what we have planned for the coming years."

Expanding Without Losing Control

CD Projekt isn't planning to go it alone in these new ventures. "We want to invite external partners to these projects, we are already in talks with several of them," Badowski revealed.

But don't expect them to hand over the keys to their carefully built worlds. The company plans to keep tight control over the creative direction to ensure everything feels authentically "CD Projekt."

They have even built a special team dedicated to expanding their worlds beyond gaming.

Games Are Still the Main Focus

Even with these new projects, CD Projekt is still all about games. Their recent releases - - The Witcher 3 has sold 50 million copies since 2015, while Cyberpunk 2077 has passed 30 million sales in just four years.

And they’re aiming even higher. "GTA V has sold over 200 million copies. Red Dead Redemption 2? 70 million," Nowakowski said. "If they can do it, why not us?"

With over 1,100 employees worldwide, CD Projekt is working on some major projects:

✅ A new Witcher game

✅ A Cyberpunk sequel (codenamed Orion)

✅ A brand-new original IP (codenamed Hadar)

The company’s value has doubled in the past year, hitting 22 billion złoty ($5.6 billion). While that’s still below its 2020 peak, the new leadership team is more focused on making great games than stock prices.

"If we deliver amazing games, shareholders will be happy," Badowski said. "We’ve got big things ahead—this is just the beginning."