Late last year
we reported on the curious case of The Witcher creator Andrzej Sapkowski taking legal action against the creators of The Witcher videogames - CD Projekt RED. Who, it's worth pointing out, only found massive success with the third entry of Geralt adventures.
The original agreement between the two was for the videogame rights 'now and forever' so to speak, with Andrzej Sapkowski opting for a lump sum as opposed to royalties via a percentage. Reportedly asking for PLN 60 million (AUD $22,717,827) in compensation, it now seems that the dispute has been settled out of court. With Polish news outlet Puls Biznesu noting that the final number was less than the original figure but still more than what CD Projekt RED feel like they were obligated to give.
As for the reasoning, many point to a specific Polish law that was created to protect creators that basically outlines that if you sold the rights to something cheap as an up and comer, you're entitled to more if it becomes a massive success. Which in this case might constitute a loop-hole as the original offer was for a percentage of sales moving forward, with Andrzej Sapkowski opting for a single lump sum. A lump sum that has since been elevated thanks to the success of the videogame Witcher series - leading to a lucrative deal with Netflix for the TV rights.
As for CD Projekt RED and Andrzej Sapkowski, both parties are reported as being happy. Moving forward CD Projekt RED retain the rights to The Witcher for interactive purposes, and will no doubt continue to release Witcher-related games for the foreseeable future.
Source.