CD Projekt, the Polish video game developer behind massive franchises like The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077, has sold off its video game storefront, GOG.
Michał Kiciński, the co-founder of both companies and a major stakeholder in CD Projekt, has acquired 100% of GOG for about $25 million. CD Projekt said on Monday that the sale will allow the company to fully focus on its upcoming slate of video games. Until now, GOG had operated under CD Projekt for nearly two decades.
“With our focus now fully on an ambitious development roadmap and expanding our franchises with new high-quality products, we felt this was the right time for this move,” said CD Projekt co-CEO Michał Nowakowski in a press release. “We would like to thank the GOG team for years of fruitful cooperation and wish them all the best.”
He added that GOG is going into “very good hands,” and that with the support of Kiciński, “its future will be full of great projects and successes.”
GOG first launched in 2008, under the name Good Old Games, as a video game storefront that doesn’t use digital rights management technology. Being DRM-free allows customers to do more or less whatever they want with their purchases, including backing up games and playing them offline without fear of being locked out or constantly prompted to prove ownership. Unlike its rival Steam, GOG focuses on a curated selection of games that includes AAA titles, indie releases, and classic games. The platform also runs a game preservation program that updates older titles and ensures they remain playable on modern systems.
In an FAQ posted today, GOG said the deal won’t change much for existing customers, who will retain their libraries, offline installers, and the same DRM-free ownership of games.
Despite the split, the two companies have signed an agreement that includes plans to release future CD Projekt games on GOG.
“GOG and Michał Kiciński are aligned by a shared belief that games should live forever,” said GOG Managing Director Maciej Gołębiewski. “In a market that’s getting more crowded, more locked-in, and forgets classic games at an increasing pace, we’re doubling down on what only GOG does: reviving classics, keeping them playable on modern PCs, and helping great games find their audience over time.”
For his part, Kiciński said both companies still share the same roots and values: “freedom, independence, and a genuine sense of ownership.”
“I believe that CD Projekt, with its exceptional AAA games, will stand, as always, behind the GOG offering — making GOG the best place on the planet to purchase The Witcher and Cyberpunk games, both existing titles and the new ones we all anticipate so much,” said Kiciński.
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