CD Projekt RED - Respecting Fans

Couchpotato

Part-Time News-bot
Joined
October 1, 2010
Messages
36,178
Location
Spudlandia
Gamasutra has a very short article explaining on how CD Projekt RED respects it's fans while growing larger.

How do you keep yourself growing slowly and sustainably, rather than getting ahead of yourself?

MI: That's actually a very good question, because there are a lot of companies which run like crazy into different directions, some of them big, some of them small. We've made some mistakes like that before. We were doing a lot of things. We were expanding our distribution. We had some more stuff... there was the Rise of the White Wolf project, which didn't work out for us.

[Ed. note: Rise of the White Wolf is a cancelled version of the original Witcher for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.]

But I think the important thing is we are learning. What we've definitely learned throughout the last 20 years is that we have to focus. We focus on what we do best, and what we do best is tell stories in big, epic, mature dark fantasy settings -- or in the case of Cyberpunk, futuristic settings. But this is the thing we have to focus on. You will not see from us a lot of diverse stuff. We will not suddenly start making racing games, because I do not think that is where our strength is.

At the end of the day, what really matters is the experience which you are having with the game when it's out. And this is the one unique moment which defines us. If it's an average experience, pretty much what we are doing every day doesn't make sense.

For a lot of companies, from a short-term business perspective, the famous hit-and-run strategy, there are still a lot of people applying this. And sometimes it works! And then they are probably telling [other companies about] what they do. I just don't think it's [the way we should run our business]. So we are really deliberately choosing what we want to do, and we will do it for as long as we are happy with the effect.

Hence, for example, The Witcher 1, and the Witcher 1 Enhanced Edition, and The Witcher 2 and Witcher 2 Enhanced Edition, which for the PC players was all for free, because we think we could have done better, and here it is.

And they appreciate it. Then they tell their friends we are doing a good job and we respect them. And ultimately it will result in a sale. Some people are saying, "Why do you do that? You could have charged for it!" Yeah. But I think the value in the whole proposition is that we are honest, straightforward, and fair, and this pays back. So you can call it a business model, in a way.
More information.
 
Joined
Oct 1, 2010
Messages
36,178
Location
Spudlandia
We focus on what we do best, and what we do best is tell stories in big, epic, mature dark fantasy settings — or in the case of Cyberpunk, futuristic settings. But this is the thing we have to focus on. You will not see from us a lot of diverse stuff. We will not suddenly start making racing games, because I do not think that is where our strength is.
Imagine you make a successful RPGs and suddenly out of thin air you decide to ditch that "shit" and make TOR. Or TES online.
I'm a bit drastic? Okay. Imagine you have a studio that makes awsome RPGs for PC. And then you veto their new game temporarily named VB and fund a crappy console game named BoS.

That's why I like those guys at CDprojekt.
 
Joined
Apr 12, 2009
Messages
23,459
Imagine you make a successful RPGs and suddenly out of thin air you decide to ditch that "shit" and make TOR. Or TES online.
I'm a bit drastic? Okay. Imagine you have a studio that makes awsome RPGs for PC. And then you veto their new game temporarily named VB and fund a crappy console game named BoS.

That's why I like those guys at CDprojekt.

I guess I just don't see their loyalty to pc like you do.

They tried to get the 1st game to console but failed, the witcher 2 definitely had a console feel (especially the menus) and standing in front of a giant Xbox one logo talking about kinect features for witcher 3 isn't really inspiring confidence.

As far as the free content I appreciate it but really wouldn't have had a problem paying 5-10 dollars like others would probably charge and let's not forget the witcher EE came about because the witcher was a bit of a mess on release.

Having said that I think the witcher 3 will be great ( despite the sure console feel and probable focus on the controller) just like the first 2.

I just don't see CDPR as being above money chasing ( like i once did)and making consoles there lead platform. Which as a pretty much pc only gamer and having a hatred for controllers makes me sad.
 
Forget the loyalty to PC, it's not what I ment. I ment the loyalty to the genre.
 
Joined
Apr 12, 2009
Messages
23,459
Oh I'm just a bit sensitive about companies making a name for themselves on pc then jumping on the console cash as soon as possible.

So I just misunderstood.

Much like your disdain for companies jumping on phone and tablet money.
 
Forget the loyalty to PC, it's not what I ment. I ment the loyalty to the genre.

Oh that is so out to lunch. Their system has always been rpg light for character generation.
 
Joined
Apr 17, 2007
Messages
5,749
Oh that is so out to lunch. Their system has always been rpg light for character generation.

That's because their games have been tightly woven around a central character, Geralt.

Only in Cyberpunk, will we see how good they are in terms of character generation.
 
Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
803
Location
Singapore
Oh I'm just a bit sensitive about companies making a name for themselves on pc then jumping on the console cash as soon as possible.

I'm pretty sure your view would differ if you worked in the industry.

Besides, I don't see how wanting to get their games to a larger fanbase automatically makes them sellouts. A lot of gamers are console-only players who wouldn't be able to experience The Witcher otherwise.
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
39,129
Location
Florida, US
Oh I'm just a bit sensitive about companies making a name for themselves on pc then jumping on the console cash as soon as possible.

So I just misunderstood.

Much like your disdain for companies jumping on phone and tablet money.
Cmon, that's different. You can't have a decent AI on phones and tablets, on consoles you can. Also, I always use a certain game although there are thousands of such games to describe the stupidity of phone gaming. The game I mention is Drakensang. You can't possibly have it on a phone, but on a console you actually could if it was ported. In fact, if nextgen consoles get some PCemulator, it's possible ports for older games won't be needed at all. Think some more about it - PC emulator (or VMware) is possible on a console. Is it possible on a phone? Of course not!

But my disdain is not really the quality of games but the plague of "free" games fraud that's spreading on phones.
And while I'm pissed off with it, other ppl got creative and are posting hacks all over internet for that fraud. And it's interesting, you won't find a hack for a game that is not advertised as free. Seems that the communitiy just wants to slap falsely advertised stuff.
And I'm not talking about youtube crapvid virusspreading schemes, but printed guides that say which value in a gamefile to alter on your phone without cracking (jailbreaking) it.
 
Joined
Apr 12, 2009
Messages
23,459
Cmon, that's different. You can't have a decent AI on phones and tablets, on consoles you can. Also, I always use a certain game although there are thousands of such games to describe the stupidity of phone gaming. The game I mention is Drakensang. You can't possibly have it on a phone, but on a console you actually could if it was ported. In fact, if nextgen consoles get some PCemulator, it's possible ports for older games won't be needed at all. Think some more about it - PC emulator (or VMware) is possible on a console. Is it possible on a phone? Of course not!

But my disdain is not really the quality of games but the plague of "free" games fraud that's spreading on phones.
And while I'm pissed off with it, other ppl got creative and are posting hacks all over internet for that fraud. And it's interesting, you won't find a hack for a game that is not advertised as free. Seems that the communitiy just wants to slap falsely advertised stuff.
And I'm not talking about youtube crapvid virusspreading schemes, but printed guides that say which value in a gamefile to alter on your phone without cracking (jailbreaking) it.

What logic did you use to come up with that you can't have a decent ai on an ipad? Seriously? Do you not understand computers at all? I'm sure if drakensang sold enough(it didn't) it would possibly be up for a ipad version. They ported the new Xcom (with AI) onto the device, seems to work ok…

http://ca.ign.com/articles/2013/06/25/xcom-enemy-unknown-ipad-review

If they could do XCom they could easily do drakensang....
 
Joined
Apr 17, 2007
Messages
5,749
Yeah it's true, The IOS has some limitations, but I don't see any reasons to think that AI would be an issue. It's usually more UI that's a problem. I also don't see any reason why there couldn't be an Ipad version of Drakensang. The Iphone wouldn't work, the screen would be way too small for all the character information. But if someone really wanted to make an Ipad Drakensang, I suspect that they could.

I'd also strongly question the statement "you won't find a hack for a game that is not advertised as free." Regular commercial games get hacked constantly. That's how piracy works.

What logic did you use to come up with that you can't have a decent ai on an ipad? Seriously? Do you not understand computers at all? I'm sure if drakensang sold enough(it didn't) it would possibly be up for a ipad version. They ported the new Xcom (with AI) onto the device, seems to work ok…

http://ca.ign.com/articles/2013/06/25/xcom-enemy-unknown-ipad-review

If they could do XCom they could easily do drakensang….
 
Joined
Apr 14, 2011
Messages
2,163
XCom? LOL
Please, install Drakensang. You'll discover a huge difference betwwen Drakensang and XCom. XCom is a good game. But Drakensang is epic.

Do I understand computers at all? Actually I'm working in IT department. And now I've blown my cover why I despise bug-o-ramas.
But do you now understand why I'm calling modern phones - expensive toys?

Yea, yea, holy tablets are capable of everything, right, if only I'd believe Apple's (PR) fog sellers. Soon your Ipad will drive your car instead of you.
 
Joined
Apr 12, 2009
Messages
23,459
XCom? LOL
Please, install Drakensang. You'll discover a huge difference betwwen Drakensang and XCom. XCom is a good game. But Drakensang is epic.

Do I understand computers at all? Actually I'm working in IT department. And now I've blown my cover why I despise bug-o-ramas.
But do you now understand why I'm calling modern phones - expensive toys?

Yea, yea, holy tablets are capable of everything, right, if only I'd believe Apple's (PR) fog sellers. Soon your Ipad will drive your car instead of you.

As usual, you totally missed the point. Drakensang was an average game(sorry bud). XCom was an example of a port of a modern game(which technically is more advanced then Drakensang) If an ipad could handle xcom why on earth could it not handle a port of Drakensang? I would not expect to play any of the bigger rpg's on it like Skyrim and witcher 2, well at least not as good looking...would be hard to play those with touch screen, but who knows.

I have played both the Drakensangs that came out(and yes the old dark eye games) and they were just ok. They tried to make their version of the NWN engine without mod support and I think their inexperience made the games clunkier then they had to be.

Working at an IT help desk really doesn't impress me sorry.
 
Joined
Apr 17, 2007
Messages
5,749
Imagine you make a successful RPGs and suddenly out of thin air you decide to ditch that "shit" and make TOR. Or TES online.
I'm a bit drastic? Okay. Imagine you have a studio that makes awsome RPGs for PC. And then you veto their new game temporarily named VB and fund a crappy console game named BoS.

That's why I like those guys at CDprojekt.

Given how much money TES:V made, I'm not sure why you think they'd abandon the the single player installments to the franchise. We're talking orders of magnitude more profitable than your other examples - where modestly profitable and critically well received games were followed by less commercially succesful spinoffs. Zenimax deciding not to direct BGS to make another TES single player installment based on the success or failure of the Zenimax Online developed MMO. would be like EA having decided not to go ahead with The Sims 3 due to the failure of the Sims Online.

Is this maybe wishful thinking on your part?
 
Joined
Nov 20, 2006
Messages
1,710
As usual, you totally missed the point. Drakensang was an average game(sorry bud). XCom was an example of a port of a modern game(which technically is more advanced then Drakensang) If an ipad could handle xcom why on earth could it not handle a port of Drakensang? I would not expect to play any of the bigger rpg's on it like Skyrim and witcher 2, well at least not as good looking…would be hard to play those with touch screen, but who knows.

I have played both the Drakensangs that came out(and yes the old dark eye games) and they were just ok. They tried to make their version of the NWN engine without mod support and I think their inexperience made the games clunkier then they had to be.

Working at an IT help desk really doesn't impress me sorry.
Either you really don't know what I think of NWN or you just pretend.

To you Drakensang is okay, to me it's a stellar game. Let's leave it at that and return to the point - Drakensang cannot be ported to phones nor tablets. And can you prove me wrong? No.

There is a game ported from PC to phones. Do please compare Sims Medieval for PC and Sims Medieval on phones. Doesn't matter if you like it or not, just please compare it. On phones it's free, and is on sale on Steam in case you don't have it.
If it was possible to port the game really, they'd make it. But it was not. So they've dumbed it down drastically and probably when they saw what bullshit turned out, they've decided it'd be rediculous to ask ppl to pay for it.

Lemme return a bit back. CDprojekt will not make The Witcher Three for phones. Not now, not ever. Because it can't be made unless they wrap up some crap and name it TW3. But it would be a con job then. And they just ain't into cons. The thread title says precisely "respect fans".
 
Joined
Apr 12, 2009
Messages
23,459
If they develop The Witcher for phones/tablets, I'm gonna buy… torches and pitchforks.

Cmon, that's different. You can't have a decent AI on phones and tablets, on consoles you can.

You can have that on consoles, but you dont. Neither on PC.

AI's used in any RTS/RPG/FPS game that I know, can be used on a phone/tablet, too. There are two reasons. Firstly, phones/tablets are not that far behind anymore. Secondly, no game I know really uses alot of effort on the AI. An AI can get as complex as you want, but they dont develop themselves (yet? :D). That's simply not where the industry throws it's money.

There may or may not be exceptions with some turn based strategy titles. Civ 5 sure uses a lot of time for AI turns, but that is not necessarily a quality indicator. Might just be an overblown heuristic that doesnt really deserve the name "AI".

(Still, mobile games are mostly trash. Designed for low prices, with low standards, and high limitations. I agree on that. AI's not the issue here.)
 
Joined
May 18, 2012
Messages
2,315
Either you really don't know what I think of NWN or you just pretend.

To you Drakensang is okay, to me it's a stellar game. Let's leave it at that and return to the point - Drakensang cannot be ported to phones nor tablets. And can you prove me wrong? No.

There is a game ported from PC to phones. Do please compare Sims Medieval for PC and Sims Medieval on phones. Doesn't matter if you like it or not, just please compare it. On phones it's free, and is on sale on Steam in case you don't have it.
If it was possible to port the game really, they'd make it. But it was not. So they've dumbed it down drastically and probably when they saw what bullshit turned out, they've decided it'd be rediculous to ask ppl to pay for it.

Lemme return a bit back. CDprojekt will not make The Witcher Three for phones. Not now, not ever. Because it can't be made unless they wrap up some crap and name it TW3. But it would be a con job then. And they just ain't into cons. The thread title says precisely "respect fans".

I'm not sure you understand how the ipad works. I gave you an example of a game they ported (xcom) other then lower textures it is almost identical to the computer one…so what do you do? You bring up sims medieval which was a shoddy port…why did you ignore the game I posted about?

Oh, I know, it made your argument look silly. Drakensang was a copy of NWN it looked and played the same other then using the drakensang rules(yes the character gen and rules are different then DND) other wise it looked very similar. I won't get into the shoddy translation to English it got. I have no doubt in my mind that if they wanted to port it over to Ipad…and I mean took the effort to do it…they could. I just don't think they see any money in it, it didn't sell well. It's not a matter of cannot, but of won't. No money in it. Sorry to burst your bubble but it was not a technical wonder piece, it looked dated when it arrived and that was a few years ago.

It's simple really, if they can port Xcom they can port Drakensang.
 
Joined
Apr 17, 2007
Messages
5,749
I'm pretty sure your view would differ if you worked in the industry.

Without a doubt it would but I'm not in the industry. I'm a self absorbed gamer.:)

Besides, I don't see how wanting to get their games to a larger fanbase automatically makes them sellouts. A lot of gamers are console-only players who wouldn't be able to experience The Witcher otherwise.

Maybe I'm just selfish, no actually I'm sure I'm selfish but I don't care if console only players get to play the witcher. There are plenty of console only games that as a pc only guy I don't get to play. That's my choice and I'm fine with it.

I don't consider them sell outs but it does sound that way when I read my post. I really don't begrudge them the opportunity to cash in on the console money. It's the compromises to the pc version that irritates me. Mainly the user interface and my never ending disdain for controller focused UI's.

What really gets me is the one size fits all state of gaming. Remember when console games were just made for consoles and pc games came with 8 pages of sliders so you could tweak the game to your exact system. Now we get 1 version for console and pc and if we're lucky a few sliders.

In reality i shouldn't be so hard on CDPR. They are one of the better ones if not the best when it comes to taking care of their gamers. Maybe that's why it stings more, if CDPR isn't immune to the console charms then it really is bleak for pc only gamers in the AAA arena.
 
Cmon, that's different. You can't have a decent AI on phones and tablets, on consoles you can. Also, I always use a certain game although there are thousands of such games to describe the stupidity of phone gaming. The game I mention is Drakensang. You can't possibly have it on a phone, but on a console you actually could if it was ported. In fact, if nextgen consoles get some PCemulator, it's possible ports for older games won't be needed at all. Think some more about it - PC emulator (or VMware) is possible on a console. Is it possible on a phone? Of course not!

But my disdain is not really the quality of games but the plague of "free" games fraud that's spreading on phones.
And while I'm pissed off with it, other ppl got creative and are posting hacks all over internet for that fraud. And it's interesting, you won't find a hack for a game that is not advertised as free. Seems that the communitiy just wants to slap falsely advertised stuff.
And I'm not talking about youtube crapvid virusspreading schemes, but printed guides that say which value in a gamefile to alter on your phone without cracking (jailbreaking) it.

I wasn't comparing our reasons for disliking the other platforms as I'm sure there different.

I was comparing our level of disdain for them.

Obviously consoles are more capable than mobile devices currently but wait as mobile devices grow and console gamers get a taste of direct mobile phone games ported to their systems. They are already trying to add touch support controllers.

Then as a pc gamer I will welcome console gamers to my world.:)
 
If it was possible to port the game really, they'd make it. But it was not. So they've dumbed it down drastically and probably when they saw what bullshit turned out, they've decided it'd be rediculous to ask ppl to pay for it.

Seriously, I usually don't pile on in clear cut cases of ignorance like this, but you, sir, are a moron. You do realize that when you were pissing your pants like a naughty little boy, half of us were playing games far more complicated than Sims Medieval for PC... on our 266 Mhz DOS boxes, right..? Ironically, I mostly agree with you about the flood of f2p crap, but you make it impossible to agree with you with dumbass statements like this. 9_9
 
Joined
Sep 16, 2011
Messages
97
Back
Top Bottom