CD Projekt Red's The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt saw huge success in 2019 following its release on the Nintendo Switch according to CD Projekt's Management Board Report. It suggests that the "enthusiastic reception of gamers and gaming media alike" led to a game that continues to generate revenue nearly five years later.
The report is drafted specifically for shareholders in accordance with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Sustainability Reporting Standards, and covers revenues for both CD Projekt S.A.; the business-focused end of the company; and CD Projekt Group; which operates CD Projekt Red and GOG.com. It lists The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt alongside its expansions as one of "the most important CD Projekt Red products" in 2019.
According to one graph, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt made nearly as much in the fourth quarter of 2019 as the Blood and Wine expansion did in the second quarter of 2016. The report says Nintendo's console "should extend the life cycle of this product," however GWENT: The Witcher Card Game is considered vital to "the Group's future condition." The report expresses hope that it secures a foothold in both the Chinese market and "e-sport activities."
Though the release of The Witcher season one on Netflix is only mentioned once in the report, far less than other adjacent products like Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales, no doubt the increased bandwidth this streaming show brought the brand contributed to its success. The report expresses hopes that CD Projekt Red's upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 will garner a global recognition that "may entice gamers ... to seek access to the company's earlier products."
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic the report "surmises" that retail closures like GameStop and self-quarantine will "negatively affect" physical edition sales, but says current information suggests digital channels will be "largely impervious." Digital sales accounted for 82 percent of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt units sold in 2019. Of its total sales 11 percent came from Switch, while 53 percent came from PC.
These high numbers suggest a bright future for The Witcher franchise. Though Netflix's The Witcher season two has delayed production, CD Projekt Board of Directors President Adam Kicinski said at the top of the report, "At the close of 2019 we concluded an agreement with Mr. Andrzej Sapkowski, author of The Witcher saga, putting in place a framework for future collaboration."
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is available now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
Source: CD Projekt Management Board Report, GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards, CD Projekt Board of Directors