Despite the game generally being well-received by critics and fans alike, it appears that Thronebreaker sales did not meet CD Projekt RED’s expectations. The Polish developer had hoped that the game would do well, but its latest experimental title from The Witcher universe just hasn’t yet been able to deliver.
Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales is a single-player role-playing game that mixes elements from several other games from the parent franchise The Witcher. Players explore the world, solve puzzles, forge alliances, and build up an army of their own via a war camp. You’ll then be able to command your troops in battles based on card game mechanics as a bit of a nod to Gwent. It certainly makes for an interesting mix of mechanics.
Unfortunately, good mechanics and good story are not necessarily enough for a game to succeed these days, even from a company as well-respected as CD Projekt Red. A transcript (PDF) of the company’s third quarter conference call lays it out: Thronebreaker sales did not meet the company’s expectations.
While Thronebreaker sales were somewhat lackluster, at least in regards to CDPR’s hopes, they are nonetheless confident that it will do well in the long term. Although it’s a 30-hour title that was originally born from a Gwent expansion, it is nonetheless a game from the world of The Witcher. The game had originally debuted on GOG before making its way to Steam. Its eventual launch on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One may contribute to better Thronebreaker sales in future. CDPR also plans to make use of “aggressive” discounts to drive sales, although this is still a ways off as the game is still relatively new.
There is also the matter of the game’s subtitle: The Witcher Tales. One of the callers brought up a point during the conference call’s Q&A: will we be seeing more games under The Witcher Tales subheading?
While CDPR remains optimistic about Thronebreaker sales in the long term, they have not yet announced any additional titles under the heading of The Witcher Tales. A major driving factor will be just how well this 30-hour game performs as compared to their (admittedly high) expectations. Hopefully, things will work out well enough that we can get yet another look into the game’s universe. We could always do with a little more Geralt!
