The gaming industry is never static, and there are always big events on the horizon. According to some of the latest rumors, gamers should brace for a Sony acquisition of CD Projekt Red. Such an acquisition would have Sony forking out billions, but it would also give it ownership of highly successful franchises like Cyberpunk2077 and The Witcher. While some gamers are excited by the idea, others have looked at the rumors with skepticism.
Usually, such rumors would be rejected at first glance. However, the last few years have shown that the big gaming companies are very interested in acquiring studios, even if it costs billions. After Microsoft's acquisition of Activision and Bethesda, and Sony's acquisition of Bungie, nothing seems impossible. Nevertheless, the rumors of Sony acquiring the Cyberpunk 2077 developer do not appear to be accurate, though such an acquisition would certainly have interesting implications for the gaming world.
The Basis for the Sony and CD Projekt Red Rumors
In October, rumors began swirling around the internet that Sony is planning to acquire CD Projekt Red. According to the rumor, Sony has approached the polish studio with several big offers. Sony would have to write a large check to get CD Projekt Red under its stable. It is among the biggest video companies in Europe, dealing not just in video game development, but distribution through GOG. The rumors floating around gained further steam when they were retweeted by Twitter user @LumberjackRy, who has over 2000 followers.
From this, it is clear that the rumor doesn't have an official source, though this doesn't necessarily mean it's false. There have been plenty of industry insiders and journalists who have been lucky enough to discover behind-the-scenes information. However, there is reason to believe that this rumor is baseless.
Why It Is Unlikely That Sony Is Acquiring CD Projekt Red
Sony has never been afraid to make acquisitions, even if they cost billions. The company never goes about it haphazardly though. Instead, Sony prefers to build strong relationships with studios, sometimes for years, before it finally seals the deal. This was seen with Bluepoint Games, for example, which made stunning remakes for PlayStation, including Shadow of the Colossus and Demon's Souls. After demonstrating that it can work well with Sony, it was acquired in 2021. Similarly, Housemarque worked on several PlayStation exclusives and proved its ability to craft AAA experiences with Returnal before Sony finally acquired the studio in 2021.
Sony and CD Projekt Red haven't had the long and fruitful relationship that would convince them to make a pricey acquisition. Instead, their relationship has been rather rocky, as was seen with Cyberpunk's launch. Due to the game's poor performance on the PS4, it was pulled off PlayStation's online store, and it returned after six months with a message warning that the game doesn't run well on last-gen consoles. Though this doesn't mean that Sony and CD Projekt Red will never have an amicable relationship, Cyberpunk's catastrophic launch didn't lay down a good foundation for a billion-dollar acquisition to be made.
Though CD Projekt Red likely won't be getting acquired by Sony, it doesn't mean that there isn't plenty going on at the Polish studio. It has a new The Witcher game in development and a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel. The studio will also be trying its hand at a new IP codenamed project Hadar, and it will be interesting to see what comes of it.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
