A couple of months ago, CD Projekt Red held the first ever WitcherCon - a convention dedicated to its The Witcher series. While The Witcher originated with Andrzej Sapkowski’s books, the games were at the front and centre of the event. Technically speaking, the games owe their existence to the novels, but they overtook their inspiration long ago and are now the driving force behind Geralt’s popularity. There would not have been a WitcherCon without the games. There would not have been a Netflix series - or at least, not one with as big a budget and as notable a lead - without the games. There likely would not be an upcoming manga without the games. So why, when it has the might and the budget of these clearly beloved games behind it, is said manga being Kickstarted?
CDPR has had a rough year. Cyberpunk 2077 was supposed to be a new peak for the gaming industry, ascending beyond even The Witcher 3. It had endured a toxic hype cycle and intense months of crunch, and then launched in a dreadful, unplayable state on consoles that has barely been rectified months later. It’s back on the PS Store now, but we’re being told, by both Sony and CDPR, not to buy it on PS4, despite it being a PS4 game that is available for purchase on PS4. Figure that one out.
WitcherCon was an opportunity to turn things around. It was CDPR’s chance to change the conversation. News moves quickly in games - there’s always new hype, new releases, new delays - but game development is slow. CDPR can’t even whip up a flashy CGI trailer for The Witcher 4, pulling an Elder Scrolls 6 and telling us to expect it a decade from now; the company tried that trick with Cyberpunk 2077 and it backfired spectacularly. It would also draw huge criticism for appearing to be shifting devs off Cyberpunk 2077 before fixing the game’s plethora of issues or releasing the promised DLC. Everything in the future is too far away to look forward to, so the sensible option is to look back on its former glories. Hence, WitcherCon.
It started off great. Pre-Cyberpunk CDPR had a reputation as the most consumer-friendly company in the business. Post-Cyberpunk, there’s no way to get that reputation back, although more free Witcher 3 DLC - which was revealed at WitcherCon - could move the dial back an inch. Unfortunately, that possibility may have been undone by the manga Kickstarter.
Obviously, more people care about The Witcher 3 than a Witcher manga, and given the massive reputational devastation of Cyberpunk 2077, neither call really matters in the grand scheme of things. But a company big enough to host an entire convention for its game due to global popularity should not need people to commit to buying a spin-off manga upfront.
I actually wrote this piece at the time the Kickstarter was announced, and decided not to publish it because CDPR was not charging anything. It might have been using Kickstarter as a way of gauging public interest in the idea, but given that The Witcher 3 sold 28 million copies, CDPR should have deep enough pockets to absorb a limited run of the manga to see if it sells. As of this week, the company started crowdfunding - prices start at £31, but you are welcome to donate less than that just to help lil ol’ CD Projekt Red out, if you’re a big enough sucker.
If the Kickstarter had happened back in 2018, I'd give CDPR the benefit of the doubt, assuming this was an unconventional way of testing the waters or drumming up press before printing and selling the book through a traditional storefront. Back in 2018, I also expected Cyberpunk 2077 would work on PS4 and Xbox One at launch - I couldn't even fathom a reality where it still would not function over half a year afterwards.
CD Projekt Red has lost the benefit of the doubt. Even though I decided against publishing an opinion piece on it, I knew CDPR was going to start charging for it. WitcherCon was transparently Don’tThinkAboutCyberpunkCon, as joyful an occasion as it might have been for Witcher diehards.
CDPR being labelled pro-consumer started out legitimately; the company made all the right moves for The Witcher 3 and its subsequent DLC. However, it soon became an image - one CDPR was too keen to cultivate. Cyberpunk 2077 was the exception to the 'no pre-orders' rule, even though multiple delays were an obvious warning sign that it should not be. Being pro-consumer became less about acting in the best interests of its customers and more about acting for its shareholders, knowing that the pro-consumer rep would soften the impact. Kickstarting a manga spin-off is not the end of the world, but it feels like a decision Cyberpunk CDPR would make, rather than Witcher CDPR. However far off the next game in the series is, that doesn't bode well for the future.