Being the homeland of several Nobel Prize winners – with the most recent Olga Tokarczuk becoming the laureate in literature – Poland has for quite some time been a real powerhouse when it comes to culture. Nonetheless, the country has also proven to be successful within the genre of movies and science fiction. But as of lately, it is showing its great potential within the gaming industry as well.
When it comes to gaming overall, the industry has grown immensely in the last decade. Mainly due to technology making it possible to blur the lines between classic games and gambling at traditional brick-and-mortar casinos.
Today, most of both games and gambling activities can be found online – making them simpler, with easier access. And in recent years, sites such as Spinsify UK have emerged to help players choose the best sites among all offers online.
From the Computer Bazaar to One of Europe’s Most Valuable Game Developers
It was as early as in the 90s, when high school friends Marcin Iwiński and Michał Kiciński
started out selling games at the Warsaw computer bazaar, that the idea of CD Projekt Red had its initial start. In the beginning, their focus was on importing CD-ROM releases from the United States to Poland opening the polish market for foreign games. Something that would later lead to collaborations with leading game developers such as Blizzard and Psygnosis.
Almost nine years later CD Project Red (then only called CD Project) created another milestone for the polish gaming industry by being the first to release a polish translated game – Baldur’s Gate. As there were no polish-spoken videogames at the time, the game became a great success, selling over a hundred thousand copies. Something that would pave the way for the modern CD Project Red as we know it today.
The Witcher enters the gaming platforms
In 2003, CD Project Red started their work on one of their greatest successes that would put Poland’s gaming industry on the world map – namely The Witcher. Being inspired by the work of Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski, the game would turn out to be one of the most expensive Polish video games of its time, with a budget of 20 million PLN.
After four years of development, the game could finally hit the shelves in 2007. Resulting in over 35 000 sold copies within the first three days of its release, in Poland alone. Following the success, the game would soon win multiple awards as well as be praised by critics for being a game that asks its players to think and make choices upon their own judgments. In 2011, the Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings was released continuing the saga.
The Rise of Cyberpunk 2077
Five years after the release of the first Witcher-game, the developers announced the release of their new franchise – Cyberpunk 2077. A game that created discussions, as the biggest game launch of 2020 also seemed to be the most controversial. The reason for it being the postponing of its release date, as well as being launched with multiple technical issues.
Even though Cyperpunk 2077 received some negative criticism, the game, together with the Witcher success story, still made CD Project Red reach an all-time high in sales revenue. Where the result of 2020 showed a four-time increase from the previous year – making the gaming developer still showing that Poland is, and will continue to be, a prominent country within the gaming industry.