GuyN said:
Did CDPR publish any numbers for PC gaming about percentage of physical and digital sales? No idea about consoles, but I got an impression that in PC gaming digital distribution is significantly ahead already. And retail stores for computer games with physical shelves are becoming more rare.
Gilrond said:
There's this, from November 2011:
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2011-11-11-your-customers-hate-drm-rambourg
OK - found another number. By the end of the year, it had hit 1.1m total, of which digital accounted for 24%.
http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/21/witcher-franchise-sold-1-5-million-copies-in-2011/
So retail was more popular than digital, and Steam was by far the most popular on digital.
It may not be the same by TW3 of course.
Interesting indeed. But that was 2 years ago - digital distribution is growing. I'd expect it to have a larger percentage in present.
Man so many websites where they say all kinds of stuff is confusing me Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment is not publishing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt but is distributing it isn't that the same thing? They are selling the physical boxed versions of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for CD Projekt RED. So couldn't Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment of given a contract to CD Projket RED that if they want to sell the physical boxed version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in North America they need to agree to add (DRM) on it? I want an official answer from a CD Projekt RED employee like MM360 or Benzenimmem or someone else who works at CD Projekt RED 
this is scaring me badly.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment did however publish the The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition physical boxed version in North America and the Enhanced Edition has no (DRM) in it because CD Projekt RED patched SecuROM out in 1.1?
this is scaring me badly.Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment did however publish the The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition physical boxed version in North America and the Enhanced Edition has no (DRM) in it because CD Projekt RED patched SecuROM out in 1.1?
"Publishing" and "distributing" are not the same thing. The differences may seem like a commercial technicality, but they run to who makes important decisions about things like content and DRM.
A publisher produces content, such as a game, or takes responsibility for content produced by others, such as when a publisher contracts with a studio to develop a game that the publisher will pay them for, take ownership of, and publish.
A distributor is just a middleman. It does not exercise control over the game or other product. At a minimum, a distributor manages supply, demand, and delivery. In creative arts, such as films and games, a distributor creates and manages publicity.
In general, a game is being produced on the publisher's funds, and the publisher exercises control over the content of the game. A publisher may, for example, demand that the game be built with certain features, including DRM.
Likewise, a distributor is acting as a middleman for the publisher and retailers. A distributor generally will not exercise control over content or features. However, a distributor may, for example, demand editions that comply with regional law, such as laws governing depiction of violence or sex -- on the very reasonable grounds that it will be unable to discharge its duty as distributor if it cannot obtain editions that can lawfully be distributed.
Thus the news that Warner Interactive will be acting as North American distributor, not as publisher, constitutes an important reassurance that CDPR will not be forced to acquiesce to requirements for, say, region coding or DRM.
Moderator: Please do not demand official answers on the forums. These are not a channel for that purpose.
A publisher produces content, such as a game, or takes responsibility for content produced by others, such as when a publisher contracts with a studio to develop a game that the publisher will pay them for, take ownership of, and publish.
A distributor is just a middleman. It does not exercise control over the game or other product. At a minimum, a distributor manages supply, demand, and delivery. In creative arts, such as films and games, a distributor creates and manages publicity.
In general, a game is being produced on the publisher's funds, and the publisher exercises control over the content of the game. A publisher may, for example, demand that the game be built with certain features, including DRM.
Likewise, a distributor is acting as a middleman for the publisher and retailers. A distributor generally will not exercise control over content or features. However, a distributor may, for example, demand editions that comply with regional law, such as laws governing depiction of violence or sex -- on the very reasonable grounds that it will be unable to discharge its duty as distributor if it cannot obtain editions that can lawfully be distributed.
Thus the news that Warner Interactive will be acting as North American distributor, not as publisher, constitutes an important reassurance that CDPR will not be forced to acquiesce to requirements for, say, region coding or DRM.
Moderator: Please do not demand official answers on the forums. These are not a channel for that purpose.
So wait CD Projket RED is not only developing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt they are publishing it as well? And Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment is just distributing the physical boxed version to brick and mortar retailer stores in North America? Confusing they sure do have a lot on their plate.GuyN said:
Also I can't ask for answers? Moderator: Please do not demand official answers on the forums. These are not a channel for that purpose. Spending my hard earned money and I can't get answers? I am being dictated? There is no other place to ask them anything only on the forums. Or if it was kickstarter on the backer forums :/ I am buying more than 10 copies of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt if it has no (DRM) and I can't get answers even if I am spending a lot of cash?
Ballowers100 said:
You can't DEMAND answers from them. They are not your servants, or beasts of burden, and you did not pay for your ten copies yet. You can only politely ASK them, but they are not obligated to answer. It is probably more than 12 months before release, and such matters may not be even settled yet. So it is possible no definite answer can be even given at this point.
Ballowers100 said:
"I want an official answer from a CD Projekt RED employee like MM360 or Benzenimmem or someone else who works at CD Projekt RED"
Precisely. You shouldn't expect an answer to peremptory questions like that; the RED team will post information when they are ready to provide it.
Answers to questions like whether DRM will be imposed on any editions of the game will probably not be available until release is announced. So demanding answers can be seen as both impolite and premature.
If you wanna get technical; CD Projekt is the publisher. CD Projekt RED is the developer. There's a bit more info here: https://www.cdprojekt.com/en/Capital_group/Business_profileBallowers100 said:
Their Wikipedia article also has a few interesting facts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CD_Projekt
CD Projekt as a publisher is an old dog, they know their shit, but most people outside of eastern europe have never heard of them since they've focused on the polish, czech republic and hungarian markets. It wasn't until they founded CD Projekt RED, their own development studio, and launched The Witcher, that the rest of the world started taking note.