Thursday, November 15th 2018
Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales Falls Short of Initial Sales Expectations
The latest game set in the The Witcher universe has been met with slower initial sales than CD Projekt Red expected. According to the company's CEO Adam Kicinski, who spoke in the last earnings call, the slower uptake was the reason for the game's offering on Steam (it was initially launched as a GOG exclusive, but quickly made its way to the much more ubiquitous Steam store.)
As it is the latest game set in The Witcher universe, community interest and excitement surrounding the title increased the sales forecast, but perhaps the "slightly" different take on a Witcher game has turned some buyers' excitement to other pastures. Thronebreaker: the Witcher Tales is a single-player, story-driven adventure with card mechanics, a far cry from the third-person goodness of the now legendary The Witcher 3. Of course, the game now has a long time to rake in funds through continued sales, and it's unlikely the developer will leave The Witcher world behind even if it flops - which it definitely won't, at least not in the long run.
Adam Kicinski had this to say regarding sales and the decision to sell the game on the Steam store so early after release:
Source:
DSO Gaming
As it is the latest game set in The Witcher universe, community interest and excitement surrounding the title increased the sales forecast, but perhaps the "slightly" different take on a Witcher game has turned some buyers' excitement to other pastures. Thronebreaker: the Witcher Tales is a single-player, story-driven adventure with card mechanics, a far cry from the third-person goodness of the now legendary The Witcher 3. Of course, the game now has a long time to rake in funds through continued sales, and it's unlikely the developer will leave The Witcher world behind even if it flops - which it definitely won't, at least not in the long run.
"The game appealed to the community, which drove up our expectations regarding sales. Unfortunately, as yet, these expectations have not been fulfilled. Still, we remain optimistic … We expect to continue to sell Thronebreaker for many years to come, even though the initial period may not have lived up to our initial expectations. The game appeared on GOG first for fairly straightforward reasons. GOG is our priority platform and we wanted to release the game there first to gamers who support us there. However, the reach of GOG is incomparably smaller than that of Steam. We know that there's a large Witcher fan community on Steam and that's why we also released the game there."
Adam Kicinski, CD Projekt Red CEO
28 Comments on Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales Falls Short of Initial Sales Expectations
If the price tag for that game is $2 maybe...
No offense but it looks like just about every card game since the 1990's with a Witcher title.
An isometric top-down RPG set in the Witcher universe would be worth a try, but not if it messes up with turn-based combat or bloody cards.
Swordplay? Janky. Stepping up on a 1 inch step? Nope. Go around to a gentle slope, Geralt, steps are for sissies. Impossible to master crossbow? Check. Just a few examples.
It was the well-written and rich narrative with great dialogue and choices that made the games great.
But yeah, story all the way. And choices that actually do something.