The Witcher 3 on PC outsold all console versions combined last year

[midian182]

In a nutshell: It’s no secret that the Witcher 3 is an incredibly successful game, and despite releasing way back in 2015, it had a bumper 2019. Not only did it help CD Projekt to record profits, but it managed to sell more units on the PC than all console versions combined.

CD Projekt, parent company of Witcher 3 studio CD Projekt Red, recently published a financial overview of 2019, which included a graph showing the RPG’s sales over the years based on hardware platform.

Somewhat surprisingly, the The Witcher 3 sold best on the PlayStation 4 during its 2015 launch year. The console took a 48 percent share of sales, with the PC on 31 percent and the Xbox One holding 20 percent. In subsequent years, however, the PC was the dominant platform, and in both 2018 and 2019, it accounted for more sales than all consoles combined.

It’s worth noting that the graph represents The Witcher 3’s number of sales, not revenue. The game is often discounted on Steam and the CD Projekt-owned GOG digital platform, so there may have been years where the PC version outsold consoles but didn’t generate as much money as the machines.

Elsewhere in the report, CD Projekt revealed its overall sales were up 44 percent to $125 million last year, while consolidated net profit increased 60 percent to $41 million. GOG, meanwhile, saw a record $39 million in revenue. The company also addressed fears that its work-from-home policy would delay the release of Cyberpunk 2077, confirming that the game was still on track to launch this September.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/84781-witcher-3-pc-outsold-all-console-versions-combined.html

 

[QuantumPhysics]

I guess some people actually wanted 4K 60FPS with unbeatable load times!

 

[Eldritch]

But, it doesn't have any DRM! Shouldn't it have failed miserably as all PC gamers are lowlife pirates and nobody wants a single player game. /s

 

[yRaz]

But, it doesn't have any DRM! Shouldn't it have failed miserably as all PC gamers are lowlife pirates and nobody wants a single player game. /s

Piracy only happens when the asking price is greater than inconvenience of downloading and cracking a game. Good sales on GoG and steam sales prove this.

With games realistically now being over $100 new, no wonder people pirate now and pay a 10% of that a few years later

 

[Adi6293]

Piracy only happens when the asking price is greater than inconvenience of downloading and cracking a game. Good sales on GoG and steam sales prove this.

With games realistically now being over $100 new, no wonder people pirate now and pay a 10% of that a few years later

I know people who pirate even cheap games or software, so people are just dic****

 

[yRaz]

I know people who pirate even cheap games or software, so people are just dic****

It's been my experience that that is the exception rather than the rule, those people only standout because of how vocal they are. I would hazard a guess even you have pirated a game at somepoint but you probably still buy most of your games

 

[ShagnWagn]

"PC gaming is dead!"

lol...

 

[Rvnwlf]

I will neither confirm nor deny any activities that would be considered pirating, but I will say I miss the days of most companies releasing a demo "try before you buy" policy. Giving me a chance to see if I really like a game. If it ends up being a game I like, I do purchase it.

 

[nnguy2]

Hopefully now they can make games with PC as the main platform in mind and not handicap the game to fit the consoles.

 

[Viperkiller007]

Piracy is great! Helps more then does damage.(opinion)
I DL HL Alyx to try it out... once I was convinced it was something I would play, I paid full price 1/2 Hour later for the game! Wither 3 I bought on sale and never played lol.

 

[Evernessince]

Piracy only happens when the asking price is greater than inconvenience of downloading and cracking a game. Good sales on GoG and steam sales prove this.

I'd say this only pertains to "potential pirates" or people who are more inclined to pirate. There is a whole other group of people who prefer buying legitimately, like me.

 

[Adi6293]

It's been my experience that that is the exception rather than the rule, those people only standout because of how vocal they are. I would hazard a guess even you have pirated a game at somepoint but you probably still buy most of your games

I'm 30 this December and in the last 10 years I pirated a handful of games I can admit that no problem, even Witcher II because at the time I could not afford to buy it but you are right I do buy most of my games, I bought Wither III 3 times, and twice for the full price ?

 

[yRaz]

I'd say this only pertains to "potential pirates" or people who are more inclined to pirate. There is a whole other group of people who prefer buying legitimately, like me.

Everyone is a potential pirate, especially kids with less money. As an adult I much prefer the experience of buying my games. I almost exclusively game on Linux and getting a legitimate copy of a game to run is way easier than a cracked copy. I'll buy Linux games I don't play just to support developing on Linux.

 

[Evernessince]

Everyone is a potential pirate, especially kids with less money. As an adult I much prefer the experience of buying my games. I almost exclusively game on Linux and getting a legitimate copy of a game to run is way easier than a cracked copy. I'll buy Linux games I don't play just to support developing on Linux.

That's why I defined it in the same sentence as "people who are more inclined to pirate."

 

[amstech]

This game sold well because its damn good.
It sold well on PC because it looks and runs great on a nice gaming PC.
Heck even my old tired GTX 1080 runs it well at 1440p/144hz.

 

[Nobina]

Why are people trying to justify piracy as if it's a good thing or something. We've no laws about piracy that are enforced here and by now I pirated probably dozens of TB of games and movies. Why? Cause it's free. End of story. I do have Witcher 3 GOTY on GOG and about 200 of other games I acuired legitimately. I prefer to buy games these days cause of multiplayer and cloud save games.

 

[pcnthuziast]

Duh? lol

 

[Evernessince]

Why are people trying to justify piracy as if it's a good thing or something. We've no laws about piracy that are enforced here and by now I pirated probably dozens of TB of games and movies. Why? Cause it's free. End of story. I do have Witcher 3 GOTY on GOG and about 200 of other games I acuired legitimately. I prefer to buy games these days cause of multiplayer and cloud save games.

I'll all for enforcing piracy laws so long as they are reasonable. Jail time for copying digital files? Never. Not unless it's the source code. Maximum penalty should be double the price of the digital goods pirated.

That said, it's mostly a waste of time to go after individuals. It's a much wiser idea to go after uploaders. Laws should be written to take this into consideration.

 

[pencea]

I guess some people actually wanted 4K 60FPS with unbeatable load times!

Give it a rest mate. You've been chucking sarcasm digs at consoles in literally every console articles.

 

[loki1944]

Best RPG since Morrowind.

 

[ddferrari]

Witcher 3 is in my top three faves of all time... and I've played a LOT of games over the years. I'm thrilled that it continues to be a major source of revenue for CD Projekt. These folks are legit.