Art by Jakub Różalski
How much did The Witcher 3 cost to make? This question has plagued our thoughts ever since we first heard that it was going to feature more than 200 hours of playtime.
The Polish company announced yesterday how much money they actually spent for the beloved open-world RPG – The Witcher 3 The Wild Hunt.
An English translation was published today. CEO Adam Kicinski notes that the budget for The Witcher 3, including marketing and development costs, was 306 million złoty. That is $81 million USD.
Star Wars The Old Republic, an MMO, had a budget of $200 million to develop, and Rockstar Game’s GTA V cost $265 million, including marketing, rumors have it. Considering things, The Witcher 3 is a hit. For their latest financial period, the company made a net profit of 236 million złoty, which translates to $62.5 million USD.
CD Projekt Red has announced that The Witcher 3 was a good investment.
During the presentation, CEO Kicinski notes that CD Projekt Red had to conduct 40 different marketing campaigns for the Witcher 3. He continue to describe them as a frustrating and daunting task. He adds that besides region-specific campaigns, a global marketing campaign accompanied them.
CD Projekt Red unveiled how much time it took for their team of professionals to efficiently develop the game. It took them 3.5 years, 240 in-house staff members that worked on the title, and about 1,500 people across the world that worked on production.
The Witcher 3 was localized in 15 different languages, with seven of them featuring full voice acting. 500 voice actors have worked on the game for its various language versions.
The bottom line is, Kicinski and the whole team at CD Projekt Red is more than happy with their latest Witcher title. It sold over 6 million copies in its first six weeks.
Screenshot of Kaer Morhen
They’ve added countless free DLCs and a the sought after New Game+. On the 13th of October 2015, CD Projekt Red will be launching their first paid DLC. It’s called Hearts of Stone and it won’t be the companies last expansion.
However, don’t expect a Witcher 4 anytime soon. CD Projekt Red wants to take a breather after this. In its stead, the company will focus on a brand new title – Cyberpunk 2077.
You can watch the whole CD Projekt Red presentation down below.
I haven’t finished it yet. I’ve spent more than 200 hours in-game but I’ve just breached Skellige. It’s fascinating how many activities you have. I’ve been gazing at the marvelous world and forgetting to actually play the main story.
If you have any fun stories about Geralt of Rivia’s night-time escapades in Novigrad, or his adventures in Skellige, tell us in the comments section down below.
