The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of the best RPGs I’ve played in a long time, and still stands as one of the best games of the year. CD Projekt RED’s highly anticipated conclusion to their acclaimed trilogy mixes a lot of RPG expertise with a lot of love for making games, delivering a product that respects its players as much as it does its source material. So it’s not too surprising that the game sold like absolute wild-fire.
CD Projekt RED has revealed that the RPG managed to surpass six million copies sold within the first six weeks of sale, which is an absolutely staggering figure by any stretch of the imagination. In a short open letter to fans, studio CEO Adam Badowski expressed his utmost thanks to the fans for making the studio’s dreams com true – while also indirectly proving why CD Projket RED is so darned successful.
While you can read the letter in full here, it’s the last paragraph that really stands out.
Yes, six million copies is a great achievement for a company making RPGs, but this business is not only about that. If our games are a gallery of sound, picture and text – you are the visitors of this gallery. To an artist, there’s no sweeter sight than people enjoying their work. That’s why, in the name of all the devs in the studio, I’d like to say thanks to each and every one of you.
CD Projekt RED not only respects its consumers in a way that many publishers could learn from, they truly understand that making a good game comes well before making lots of money. It’s a lesson that is forgotten far too often in an industry that often seems to prioritise profit over everything else, and its the leading reason why we often get half-baked ideas in unfinished, messy games.
Since launch, CD Projekt RED has release all 14 promised pieces of free DLC for The Witcher 3, and they’re currently working hard on the game’s expansion pass – with the first bit still slated for launch by the end of the year.
Whether The Witcher 3 ends up being your game of the year or not, its hard not to admire the way CD Projekt RED conducts itself. And we’ll have to keep that in mind while they torture us with the long wait until Cyberpunk 2077.
Last Updated: August 27, 2015
Pieter Kruger
August 27, 2015 at 10:08
5999999 actually, I got the free pc version……
Admiral Chief on the mend
August 27, 2015 at 11:32
Sies
Graeme Selvan
August 27, 2015 at 10:09
Totally deserved was an amazing game!
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 27, 2015 at 10:11
OVER 9000/10. Worth every damn penny & onion. Why am I so proud of my virtual adopted daughter?
RinceThis
August 27, 2015 at 10:21
So you found Geoff’s missing 0s then? And although you are proud of her, she isn’t proud of you! *RUNS
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 27, 2015 at 10:25
It’s nice t0 see y0u’re c0nsistently WR0NG!
RinceThis
August 27, 2015 at 10:26
O0000000?
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 27, 2015 at 10:27
B00000000000!
RinceThis
August 27, 2015 at 10:27
N0000000000000000000!
Ryanza
August 27, 2015 at 10:22
The Witcher 3 is selling really well and going into the holiday season, it should keep on selling well.
To see how far The Witcher series and CDPR has come:
http://www.gametrailers.com/side-mission/files/2013/10/witcher-info.jpg
The Witcher 3 selling over 2 million copies in 6 weeks, for the PC without having DRM. And expected to keep on selling.
On the pirate scene the highest seeded game is GTA 5 that has DRM, with over 3000 seeders. Witcher 3 with no DRM has over 600 seeders.
Few years ago The Witcher 2 was the biggest pirated game because people wanted to see what the game was about. With The Witcher 3, more people knew what the game was about and went out to buy that shit.
So you got to ask yourself, what is DRM really there for? Control…
Don’t Support DRM. Cyberpunk 2077 is coming. A shooting game that more people can relate to.
Hammersteyn
August 27, 2015 at 10:26
Needs to be patch more. Game still has bugs
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 27, 2015 at 10:27
My patching is bugged. :/
RinceThis
August 27, 2015 at 10:28
They have medication for that…
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 27, 2015 at 10:29
I know, but I can’t take it what with all the alcohol that’s needed to deal with you. ;P
RinceThis
August 27, 2015 at 10:29
Then use the comb!
Loftus
August 27, 2015 at 10:28
But i like the googly eyes of roach! O_o
Ryanza
August 27, 2015 at 10:33
I am now playing The Witcher 3 with all it’s patches on PC. I’m not having any problems.
I played The Witcher 3 from start to finish without any patches and had maybe 2 small issues.
So either it’s your PC setup or you playing on a damn console. Playing open world games on consoles is a bad idea, well you got to deal with the bugs.
If you playing on PC you got to deal with your setup. Decent setup, decent experience. My PC is old and I have like no issues with the game, decent setup.
What would Yennefer do if she found out you saw her on a console version of the game.
Hammersteyn
August 27, 2015 at 10:37
She’d meet me on her unicorn
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 27, 2015 at 10:44
You mean she would, if it didn’t look like this on console! *run*
Hammersteyn
August 27, 2015 at 10:48
XD
Ryanza
August 27, 2015 at 10:49
Just to add. I was a console gamer before Skyrim came out but I had to play Skyrim on PC and I didn’t have any problems with that game. I know the PS3 had some serious problems.
So if it’s an open world game, get a decent PC setup. Consoles have 6gigs of ram now, so it’s getting better. But looking at the dense world of The Witcher 3, consoles need more ram.
https://static.spiceworks.com/shared/post/0009/1132/need-more-ram.jpg
Hammersteyn
August 27, 2015 at 10:29
Excellent game. Still not overly fond of the combat when compared to Bloodborne but that’s the only issue I have
RinceThis
August 27, 2015 at 10:29
You shhurrup! You’ll make Ryanza cry!
Hammersteyn
August 27, 2015 at 10:35
But……
Does
Ryanza
Mourn?
Ryanza
August 27, 2015 at 10:37
Other peoples opinions won’t make me cry. I enjoyed the game because it’s a good game. Bloodborne is also a good game.
schitsophrenic-toothbrush
August 27, 2015 at 10:34
Blah still need to play this. Almost done with DA:I.. then I have bloodborne, shadows of mordor and then I can start playing witcher but by that time I rate Fallout 4 will be out…
Hammersteyn
August 27, 2015 at 10:36
By the time you’re finished with bloodborne, shadows of mordor and Witcher Fallout 6 will be out 😛
K1FF J1MB0B (sizzle edition)
August 27, 2015 at 10:43
Was a really fantastic game, but damn they really could have polished it up a bit more hey. So many annoying little glitches that I encountered.
Ryanza
August 27, 2015 at 11:02
http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/616/607/3f7.png
Ryanza
August 27, 2015 at 11:03
http://s3.amazonaws.com/digitaltrends-uploads-prod/2015/05/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-getting-paid-best-part-of-the-job.jpg
Steffmeister
August 27, 2015 at 11:02
Bought on ps4 & later on PC… So even though I paid full price 2x…. Still best value for money ever.
Ryanza
August 27, 2015 at 11:05
Witchers for hire to kill the DRM monster.
http://static.cdprojektred.com/thewitcher/media/wallpapers/witcher3/full/witcher3_en_wallpaper_wallpaper_10_1920x1080_1433327726.jpg
I think they did a good job.
Brady miaau
August 27, 2015 at 11:21
They did. The game was good enough that I forgave a few errors (bugs) that in other games may have led to me turning away from the game.
Open world is hard. Really, really hard. They did it well.
Admiral Chief on the mend
August 27, 2015 at 11:31
THE MOST GLORIOUS GAME
The Sten
August 27, 2015 at 11:34
I tried to get into the Witcher series, I really did. I tried so hard.
When W3 was announced i thought “Now that looks like something i could really get into, I should really play the 2 others in the series before i get W3”.
So I did, I got W1, installed, played for about 4 hours until i realised they were actually serious about the combat system, it wasn’t a joke, I was like “k, this isn’t happening”. Uninstalled. Got a summary of the story on the internet.
K, The Witcher 2: Assassins of kings, supposedly the one the really got the series going, combat is revamped, its pretty, and reviews are mostly positive. Lets do this…
It definitely was better, combat was not amazing but enjoyable. Nice looking even though i played it in 2015. Not sure how many hours i put in but it was a a fair bit as i did all the quests in Flotsam and moved on to the next town. By then the inventory system was really getting to me, and the weird map was making my eye twitch in frustration. Then i realised i was skipping through most of the dialog… I dont usually do this. You see the dialog was actually boring be to tears. Then one day i just didnt return to it, played something else. Weeks went by and i forgot the game was still installed. Then i stumbled onto Jim Sterling’s review (http://www.destructoid.com/review-the-witcher-2-assassins-of-kings-201752.phtml) of W2 and i found myself agreeing with all of it with what I’ve seen so far. Uninstalled eventually.
Moral of the Story – The internet lies to me
This is why im skeptical of taking a R600 risk in W3. Im not interested in any anti-DRM activist bullshit or being BFF’s with CD Projekt “We’re just gamers like you guys lol” Red. I judge the game for whats in it, nothing else.
On the other hand Jim Sterling gave W3 an 8.5/10 so Im still at a dilemma.
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 27, 2015 at 12:13
I love it to bits, I’ve enjoyed all of them even with their oddities… but if you don’t like it, you don’t like it. 😀
Jac7
August 27, 2015 at 13:37
Didn’t play the first one, but I bought the Witcher 2 on a Steam sale. I heard great things, but was ultimately let down by the combat system. It was hopelessly too slow and for a game that huge, it would’ve been a bore to play it through all the way. I never went back.
Witcher 3 on the other hand feels like a completely new game. I love the combat. It’s way more responsive and waaayyyy more strategic. It’s by no means an easy game, that’s for sure. I die a lot. Like all the time. I’m terrible at it, but my goodness is it a great game. The narrative is fantastic. The visuals are stunning. And the game is truly just a shitload of fun.
Brady miaau
August 27, 2015 at 16:06
My sort of games, hit me from the first one. I do, however, think they are more niche than similar games, like Dragon Age or Mass Effect. And it is that edginess that sort of sets them apart.
Mabenito
August 27, 2015 at 11:53
336hrs, level 32, currently in a cave looking for a sunstone. Need to finish this game before the 1st of September, Big Boss is taking over.
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 27, 2015 at 12:07
Almost done! I finished it last night. Damnnnnnnnnnn.
Jac7
August 27, 2015 at 12:51
I really love this game, I just believe I’m absolutely terrible at it.
DiegoZicoB
August 27, 2015 at 13:41
Let’s take a conservative price of R600 for this game (in between PC price and console price) and it sold 6 million units. So that’s at the very least R3 600 000 000 and that’s only 6 weeks worth of sales.
That is insane. No wonder he is thanking us.