UPDATE Just to put the final nail in the coffin of this rumour, CD Projekt’s chief executive Adam Kicinski has popped up on the studio’s forums to issue a flat-out denial. Here’s a Polish-to-English translation (courtesy of NeoGAF user Boskee):
”Usually we don’t comment on rumours, but it’s time to deny the one about takeover because it spread too far. In the name of the board, I would like to state: No, we are not in any talks about the sale of CD PROJEKT RED or GOG. Also, the document verifying the identity/credentials of the source is not real.”
Fans of CD Projekt Red who might have been worrying due to this story doing the rounds, here’s something to cheer you up. The studio’s community lead Marcin Momot has denied that the rumours of an EA acquisition are true.
”Just bumped into Marcin Iwiński - it was new to him,” he tweeted. ”I guess the “informer” has better insight than the @CDPROJEKTRED founder. :)
DSO Gaming reports that a member of the CD Projekt RED development team has contacted them to reveal that the Witcher 3 studio is in discussions with Electronic Arts regarding a potential takeover.
The employee provided a payslip as evidence of their position, though as with all reports like this it’s impossible to fully confirm the veracity of the source. Here’s what they had to say:
“I’m employee of CDProjekt Red and I have some bad news to share with you. Our management is probably talking with Electronic Arts about potential take over. Electronic Arts representatives are currently visiting our studio and meeting with top management. We are not going to release any game soon, so for sure it’s not about any publishing deal, so the only possible reason for EA guys being here is that they want to buy us.”
Given the success of The Witcher 3, and the fact that CD Projekt has the ambitious Cyberpunk 2077 in the works - which could potentially benefit from the sort of budgets that EA can throw around - a merger of some kind would be a surprise, rather than a shock. If the two companies are planning to work together, one wonders if CD Projekt could stick to their guns with regards to free DLC.
This remains rumour for now, of course. Even if the two companies are in discussions that’s not necessarily proof that CD Projekt Red is about to be bought out. Given EA’s history of acquisitions, however, such a move would not be out of the question.
