When it comes to talking about CD Projekt Red we’d be remiss not to mention the disastrous launch of Cyberpunk 2077. Their hotly anticipated title on console and PC has cast a shadow over the Polish studio since its release in late 2020. However, after something of a turnaround, CDPR recently published a strategy update for the company going forward and it includes some interesting pointers towards the studio delving further into the mobile games sphere.
Since the release of Netflix’s Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, based on the game, CDPR have seen their already financially successful title gain even more players. Although the game’s release was widely lambasted by both players and commentators, CDPR have managed to put the game into a better state with a combination of time and further development. Emboldened by this, CDPR have indicated in their strategy update a further lean into television and film, as well as a sequel to Cyberpunk to be developed on Unreal engine.
Never Fade Away
CDPR did not get away from Cyberpunk’s release unscathed, being struck by both a class-action lawsuit and investigations from Poland's Office of Competition and Consumer Protection. Whilst fixes were underway however, CDPR’s subsidiary mobile game studio Spokko released The Witcher: Monster Slayer, a Pokemon Go inspired AR game that used enemies and inspiration from their dark fantasy adaptation of the Polish novels. Although this too experienced technical issues at launch.
Whilst most will focus on the announcement of a new Witcher trilogy, the aforementioned Cyberpunk sequel and their mysterious new IP codenamed Hadar, for mobile developers. But for those in the mobile gaming space what will be noteworthy is their mentioning working with external partners, and a mention of further branching into mobile.
Given the need to regain consumer goodwill, the choice to switch to a more modern and developer friendly engine, with UE5 and ‘quality’ being a key term in their strategy update, it seems likely that CDPR will be concentrating on regaining consumer trust. Mobile may be a good way to push out new games, gain additional revenue streams and restore the confidence of investors too.
The Witcher has already crossed over with other mobile games, as a collaboration with Lilith Games’ AFK Arena went live in September. So it’s not out of the question that further collaborations will be key, whilst any full games will remain in Spokko’s hands for the foreseeable future.
