THE WITCHER Author is Demanding 16 Million Additional Payment from CD Projekt RED

CD Project RED’s The Witcher, which is based on the novels by Andrzej Sapkowski, is now becoming a Netflix series. Now, Sapkowski is demanding additional payment from the developer, amounting to a whopping $16.1 million.

The news was first reported by Eurogamer who revealed that the studio received a demand from the author asking for additional royalties. Sapkowski previously mentioned before that he “regretted” rejecting CD Projekt RED’s original offer that grants him a percentage of overall profits from the game franchise. Instead, the author agreed to a lump sum payment, as he did not anticipate how successful The Witcher would become as a video game.

Now, CD Projekt RED responds to the original demand explaining that it legally acquired the copyright to Sapkowski’s work and have paid all dues stipulated in the original agreement.

“In the Company’s opinion the demands expressed in the notice are groundless with regard to their merit as well as the stipulated amount. The Company had legitimately and legally acquired copyright to Mr. Andrzej Sapkowski’s work, i.a, insofar as is required for its use in games developed by the Company. All liabilities payable by the Company in association therewith have been properly discharged.”

Although CD Projekt RED firmly rejected Sapkowski’s plea, the studio revealed that they are open for a fair agreement saying, “However, any such resolution must be respectful of previously expressed intents of both parties, as well as existing contracts.”

You can check out the demand letter released by CD Projekt RED here. What are your thoughts in this situation? Should Sapkowski stick to the initial deal? Share your thoughts in the comments below.