CD Projekt Settles Dispute With The Witcher Author Andrzej Sapkowski

• CD Projekt announces a signed agreement with Andrzej Sapkowski.
• Signals an end to royalty dispute between the two.
• CD Projekt retains reputation as gaming’s good guy.

In a news day dominated by hot takes on the freshly launched Netflix TV show, developer of The Witcher video games, CD Projekt, reveals it has solidified its relationship with the author of The Witcher books, Andrzej Sapkowski.

CD Projekt and Andrzej Sapkowski Reach An Agreement

A corporate press release from CD Projekt details an agreement signed by both parties. It reads:

CD PROJEKT, creators of “The Witcher” series of games and upcoming role-playing game “Cyberpunk 2077”, together with Andrzej Sapkowski, author of “The Witcher” books, would like to inform that today both parties signed an agreement further solidifying their relationship.

The agreement grants CD PROJEKT new rights, as well as confirms the Company’s title to “The Witcher” intellectual property in video games, graphic novels, board games, and merchandise.

While the news more or less confirms that the Polish studio still values The Witcher IP by putting in the legal groundwork for a potential (or existing?) project, it also puts to bed the legal struggle with Sapkowski.

Source: CD Projekt Red

Royalty Dispute Settled

In October last year, Sapkowski sent a request for royalty payments to CD Projekt to the tune of $16 million. Sapkowski argued that the initial fixed sum contract for the rights to the books contravened Polish royalty law. He claimed that copyright only covered the first The Witcher game, not the trilogy of titles.

CD Projekt responded to the request, describing Sapkowski’s demands as “groundless” and confirming that all contractual liabilities had been discharged. The response contains a passage about its relationship with Sapkowski, which reads:

It is the Company’s will to maintain good relations with authors of works which have inspired CD PROJEKT RED’s own creations. Consequently, the Board will go to great lengths to ensure amicable resolution of this dispute; however, any such resolution must be respectful of previously expressed intents of both parties, as well as existing contracts.

Despite the absence of any legal obligation to renegotiate with Sapkowski, it appears that the matter is now settled, further entrenching CD Projekt’s reputation as gaming’s good guy.

This article was edited by Gerelyn Terzo.

Last modified: December 20, 2019 21:59 UTC

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