The Witcher Author Demands More Royalties
Andrzej Sapkowski, author of The Witcher novel series demands more than $16 million in royalties from developer CD Projekt Red.
Before the first action role-playing game from The Witcher series was released back in 2007 by developer/publisher CD Projekt Red, probably many haven't ever heard of the novels the franchise was based upon or who monster hunter Geralt of Rivia was.
Now that it has become a worldwide sensation followed by two sequels; The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, a demand for over $16 million in royalties is made by its creator and Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.
RELATED: The Witcher Is Coming to Netflix
Back in 2014, CD Projekt Red stated in an interview that these stories created by Sapkowski were only popular in Poland and there wouldn't be anything today without The Witcher game. Instead of buying rights from author, they simply bought a story that turned heads.
A letter publicly issued by the author claims that the Polish developer studio has paid a sum too low compared to the benefits they have made using his work. It also claims that the agreement between them was for the first installment of the series.
RELATED: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for Xbox One X
In an interview to Eurogamer last year, Sapkowski expressed his regrets over agreeing to a fixed sum, which he very much regrets now.
RELATED: The Witcher 3 PlayStation 4 Pro Update Facing Issues
The author never even believed that his work would ever make any money and agreed to a one-time payment. Through the letter, he requests for only six percent of the profits the franchise has made till date to be paid in royalties.
Considering the massive success of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt alone Sapkowski is owed at least $16.11 million, according to the claims of the letter. So, he is expecting percentage for all three games and their expansions and the amount will be even bigger then.
RELATED: Witcher 3 Mod Geralt of Rivia's Pro Out Now
For everyone to take a look at the letter, we have embedded the English language version of the formal demand below.
RELATED: Henry Cavill to Star in Netflix’s The Witcher
Despite whatever agreement was made between two parties, Sapkowski can feel a bit ripped off considering the popularity of the series has lead to an upcoming TV show on Netflix that will feature British actor Henry Cavill (Justice League, Man of Steel) in lead role.
CD Projekt Red is also working on a spin-off role-playing game Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales, which has players all hyped up as it is coming on 23 October, 2018 for PC and then on 4 December for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles.
Before the first action role-playing game from The Witcher series was released back in 2007 by developer/publisher CD Projekt Red, probably many haven't ever heard of the novels the franchise was based upon or who monster hunter Geralt of Rivia was.
Now that it has become a worldwide sensation followed by two sequels; The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, a demand for over $16 million in royalties is made by its creator and Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.
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| The Witcher Author Demands More Royalties |
RELATED: The Witcher Is Coming to Netflix
Back in 2014, CD Projekt Red stated in an interview that these stories created by Sapkowski were only popular in Poland and there wouldn't be anything today without The Witcher game. Instead of buying rights from author, they simply bought a story that turned heads.
A letter publicly issued by the author claims that the Polish developer studio has paid a sum too low compared to the benefits they have made using his work. It also claims that the agreement between them was for the first installment of the series.
RELATED: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for Xbox One X
In an interview to Eurogamer last year, Sapkowski expressed his regrets over agreeing to a fixed sum, which he very much regrets now.
They offered me a percentage of their profits. I said, 'No, there will be no profit at all - give me all my money right now! The whole amount. It was stupid. I was stupid enough to leave everything in their hands because I didn't believe in their success. But who could foresee their success? I couldn't.
RELATED: The Witcher 3 PlayStation 4 Pro Update Facing Issues
The author never even believed that his work would ever make any money and agreed to a one-time payment. Through the letter, he requests for only six percent of the profits the franchise has made till date to be paid in royalties.
Considering the massive success of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt alone Sapkowski is owed at least $16.11 million, according to the claims of the letter. So, he is expecting percentage for all three games and their expansions and the amount will be even bigger then.
RELATED: Witcher 3 Mod Geralt of Rivia's Pro Out Now
For everyone to take a look at the letter, we have embedded the English language version of the formal demand below.
Demand for Payment by Andrz... by on Scribd
RELATED: Henry Cavill to Star in Netflix’s The Witcher
Despite whatever agreement was made between two parties, Sapkowski can feel a bit ripped off considering the popularity of the series has lead to an upcoming TV show on Netflix that will feature British actor Henry Cavill (Justice League, Man of Steel) in lead role.
CD Projekt Red is also working on a spin-off role-playing game Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales, which has players all hyped up as it is coming on 23 October, 2018 for PC and then on 4 December for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles.
