The redemption of the 35 million copies
CD Projekt Red has just confirmed a monumental milestone: Cyberpunk 2077 has reached the 35 million copies sold five years after its launch. But the cold data hides a much more interesting reality for the industry. Currently, Night City is the only one that keeps the lights on in the offices in Poland, surpassing the franchise's revenue The Witcher. How did a game with a disastrous launch become the undisputed financial pillar of the studio? We analyze it.
More than sales, a changing of the guard
What the latest financial reports reveal is a change in cycle. Historically, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was the goose that laid the golden eggs that allowed financing the development of Cyberpunk. Now, the roles have been reversed. After analyzing the income graphs, it is evident that the witcher Geralt has entered his natural rest phase. On the other hand, V and Johnny Silverhand are carrying the financial weight of the company.
This is not luck; is the result of a long tail strategy executed to perfection after the 2.0 update and expansion Phantom Liberty. CD Projekt has shown that a game single-playerwithout the predatory microtransactions of a “game as a service,” can maintain massive revenue streams if invested in fixing the user experience and expanding the narrative.
Cyberpunk: The fuel for 'Polaris' and 'Orion'
Why do players care about this? Because these 35 million copies are what are paying for the development of what is to come. The vast majority of the CDPR team is no longer working on Cyberpunk 2077but in Project Polaris (the next The Witcher).
The financial stability it provides Cyberpunk Today is what allows the studio to take the necessary time to not repeat the mistakes of the past with its future releases. It is definitive proof that the brand's redemption, although late, was total: they went from offering massive refunds in 2020 to having the main source of sustainable income in 2025.
Verdict: A lesson in resilience
A case like that of Cyberpunk 2077 It is a rare thing to find in the industry. As is known, when a title debuts with as many problems as the acclaimed CD Projekt Red game did at the time, it does not usually have a second wind of glory. On the contrary, the press, specialized critics and the gamers themselves turn their backs on it, voting with their wallets. But it is undeniable that the resources invested have paid off, as it has now become an extremely robust proposition for a player, leaving behind those days where there was fear of encountering one of its countless bugs.
Such favorable sales numbers result in great news, especially for us, who eagerly await the next from the authors of Cyberpunk. We can be sure that it will have a large injection of capital in its production; that they will take even more care in the development and details that can hinder the experience; and that the gameplay focused on an experience single player will continue to be the basis of CD Projekt Red's possibly new hit.
Do you think that the next The Witcher game will manage to surpass these figures or is Cyberpunk already the queen IP of the studio? Leave us your opinion in the comments.
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