Here’s surprising news to help get you through yet another day of unfortunate existence; CD Projekt has just surpassed Ubisoft in terms of worth as far as European video game companies are concerned. It’s a massive surprise considering precisely how long and storied the history of Ubisoft is, versus the comparatively short history of CD Projekt.
Ubisoft first started developing video games in 1986 with Fer et flame on the Amstrad CPC; an eight-bit computer that was built in 1984. CD Projekt, on the other hand, released their first title in 2007; a little-known title called The Witcher.
Currently, CD Projekt is worth roughly 8.76 billion dollars, versus Ubisoft’s net worth of 8.55 billion dollars. CD Projekt owns more than simply the Witcher franchise, also holding GOG where they bring classic (and recent) titles to users, DRM free.
Ubisoft also owns its own storefront, although the storefront focuses only on titles where Ubisoft acts as either as the developer or publisher, where CDPR will host any title.
This isn’t likely an achievement that CDPR will maintain, based only on the number of titles that Ubisoft is going to be pushing out within the next twelve months: a new Watch Dogs, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Rainbow Six: Quarantine, and a rumored Far Cry on the horizon.
Conversely, however, CDPR has Cyberpunk 2077 on the near horizon, dropping within a few months. The strength of CDPR’s name, however, means that there is a universe where CD Projekt simply continues to hold the title as the most valuable European game studio.
The Witcher 3 did astoundingly well, which shined additional light on its two predecessors, yet the gameplay offered was only one course to the delectable meal that would become The Witcher 3.
CDPR pushed out multiple free DLCs that were admittedly small alterations; new armor sets, alternative styles of main characters, quests, weapons; the list is as robust as it was surprising as the developer offered content for free that other developers would have nickel and dimed their player base for.
Then, they launched what would go down as two of the greatest DLCs of the past decade with Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine. Both expansions include massive amounts of content that can rival the base game in scope. That all titles in the franchise shipped without intrusive DRM are yet another feather in the cap that is the formation of CDPR.
It’s an obvious statement that CDPR’s treatment of their fans has resulted in unflinching loyalty and resolve that could bode well for the future of the company. The question on everyone’s mind right now, however, is if Ubisoft will once again adapt to the ever-shifting climate of the video game industry.
