It can be difficult to wrap your head around just how ridiculously massive The Witcher 3 is, in terms of both content and world size, and there was a LOT of effort put in to make it that way. According to CD Projekt, it took 240 in-house staff members and 1,500 extra workers from across the globe about four years to fully develop the game, not to mention $81 million in funding. CD Projekt claims it was definitely worth the effort, however, as it’s already made a net profit of $62.5 million, and the first expansion hasn’t even been released yet.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt cost CD Projekt $81 million to develop. That’s a decent amount of coin. But, the publisher is already seeing the fruits of its investment, as the company’s latest financial report shows it’s in the black by $62.5 million for the period. CD Projekt announced The Witcher 3’s cost in the embedded YouTube video (as reported by GameSpot). The $81 million — 306 million złoty, the currency of Poland — includes both development and marketing expenses. This may seem like a lot of money, but it’s a fairly modest budget for a triple-A open-world title. By comparison, rumor has it that Grand Theft Auto V cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $265 million. CD Projekt chalks its relatively low expenses up to an in-house staff of around 240 people that “know how to develop games efficiently.” Judging by the recent financial report, that strategy seemingly paid off. Of the $62.5 million profit, most of it stems from Witcher 3 sales as it sold approximately 6 million units in the first month. CD Projekt CEO Adam Kicinski stated the obvious by calling it “a good investment.”
