Witcher Author Andrzej Sapkowski Wants a Pay Day

[Kendo 2 1,162]

Basically, Andrzej Sapkowski sold the Witcher video game rights to CDPR for a lump sum of $9,500 because he thought they would fail.  He didn't have any faith in the company or the industry and now he's mad that the Witcher games are a financial success and CDPR is now worth about 2 Billion U.S. dollars.  Since this isn't a news article I can say this; Andrzej Sapkowski is a cunt.

 

[endgameaddiction 203]

Article 44 is shit. He shouldn't get nothing more than what he was already given when he sold the rights to CDPR.

[Kendo 2 1,162]

Evidently Sapkowski thinks he's Tolkien or RRMartin and everyone on the planet was reading his Polish language-only books.

[endgameaddiction 203]

He's a bitter man because what used to be his IP, CDPR is making bank off of it and he's not. Tough luck. You sold the rights to CDPR fair and square. Bet he wishes he still had it and licensed the IP to a developer instead. Well, he hated video games, he can stick with that mentality since it served him well.

[bjornk 212]

To be honest, this is really a subject which I'd rather not touch with a ten foot pole, as I'm neither a fan of the Witcher games nor the books, but from what I can see, the comments are a bit biased.

Yes, judging by Yong's video the author sounds a bit delusional, if not greedy, but paying only $9500 for an IP that has allowed you to make five games, also sounds a bit unfair. I'm pretty sure they received a "sympathy discount" from the guy, for being the "Polish youth pursuing their unrealistic dream" or something similar... I think he'd probably ask for much more, if it was a major international company asking for the usage rights...

Anyway, I'd like to hear the whole story from both sides first, before coming to a conclusion, but I don't really care... I quite honestly hope that the author takes back the usage rights and prevent CDPR from further milking the Witcher IP and CDPR will hopefully have to learn not to rely on someone else's IP...

Edited October 3, 2018 by bjornk

[Kendo 2 1,162]

While working on the Witcher games the writers would contact Sapkowski to get his input.  He would blow them off and he called Marcin 'a stupid kid' for thinking that games can tell stories.  You'd think that by Witcher3 Sapkowski would have his head out of his ass, but that didn't happen.  Sapkowshi had the option to take royalties and he didn't want them; by his own admission he wanted a lump sum payout.  He got what he wanted and now he's sore about it.

[endgameaddiction 203]

Doesn't CDPR own the IP of Witcher? I thought they only develop games they own the rights to. Like CP2077.

[ritualclarity 520]

they might have had a license to one game and not the other two. The document from the Lawyers seem to point to that direction. They don't seem so interested in the money that was made from the first, mostly the second and third.

Also, who licensed the Netflix version?  CDProject Red? Did they sell a right to the video.. if so there will be even more trouble if there is any grounds for this law suit.

He should have demanded both a lump sum and a % which was offered.  Also made sure the language was very solid on how many and how much they could do with the IP (one game, two games etc) so that if there was a profit later he could have reworked the contract for each as needed.

What an fucking idiot..

 

[ritualclarity 520]

2 hours ago, endgameaddiction said:

Doesn't CDPR own the IP of Witcher? I thought they only develop games they own the rights to. Like CP2077.

It could have been a limited rights IP (time scope, medium ... for example video games not movies)

[bjornk 212]

Don't know what you'd make of this but Sapkowski may have a point.

https://twitter.com/witchergame/status/1072131917573746689

[Kendo 2 1,162]