Netflix's The Witcher - General Discussion Thread

[Lilbaz]

It will be for the courts to decide. We weren't in the meeting, we don't know if they led him to believe that the rights were for one game or more. We don't know if he's being greedy or just getting what it his right. I will wait to see what the courts say before demonising either of them. Even then i wont as the matter will be dealt with.

 

[Neno_Kos]

Yeah the guy is trash.
He took the money in the first place because he didnt had a high opinion on games and didnt care enough about his own creation.
But now suddenly he is so into it, loves to work with Netflix, the money this "oh so dumb" gaming thing generated.

If i remember correctly he even said that any form of entertainment outside of books is trash...well outside of his books.
I cant stand the guy for one second.

He took money for selling rights on Witcher in video games. His opinion was any kind of media other than books are trash and not worthy. Never really even praised CDPR for work they done and always tried distance his books from video games. But what made his books and him popular was exactly CDPR's Witcher serial at least globally speaking. Because of them he sold even more books.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

It will be for the courts to decide. We weren't in the meeting, we don't know if they led him to believe that the rights were for one game or more. We don't know if he's being greedy or just getting what it his right. I will wait to see what the courts say before demonising either of them. Even then i wont as the matter will be dealt with.

From what I read he is trying to use a Polish copyright law that seems like cover for someone being dumb enough to sell their rights for too little. But lets not get this twisted. He signed over the rights willingly and has mentioned so in the past.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

He took money for selling rights on Witcher in video games. His opinion was any kind of media other than books are trash and not worthy. Never really even praised CDPR for work they done and always tried distance his books from video games. But what made his books and him popular was exactly CDPR's Witcher serial at least globally speaking. Because of them he sold even more books.

And he is obviously bitter that the games are what the Witcher is known for. Not his books.

 

[TheVileOne]

I mean the games introduced me to the books for sure, but I don't really see it as an either or situation because I see the games as the continuation of the story in the books.

 

[Lilbaz]

From what I read he is trying to use a Polish copyright law that seems like cover for someone being dumb enough to sell their rights for too little. But lets not get this twisted. He signed over the rights willingly and has mentioned so in the past.

If he's in the wrong he'll lose in court then. No need for people to get angry over it.

 

[TheVileOne]

Yeah, honestly, this is for courts and overpaid lawyers to decide. IMHO this won't get in the way of like CDPR business or Witcher/Netflix series.

That said,I think CDPR did a good move by printing the letter to the public because most of the public appears to be on their side here.

Heck even the creator of the Metro book series has even trashed Sapkowski. However, it appears writer Dmitry Glukhovsky is on very good terms with the developers for the game series based on his book and even consults with them.

Mike Pondsmith also looks to be very hands on for Cyberpunk 2077 or is at least 100% on board publicly with the game and CDPR. Granted, his source material started as a tabletop RPG.

So it's not like the game industry is anti-author or creator when creating game franchises for existing IP. Not sure how far Sapkowski will get in court with this but oh well.

EDIT:

Someone posted this on Witcher subreddit and I had a good laugh:

 

[OutOfBoose]

Yeah, his colleagues are doing much better than him. Being open for collaboration and being fully supportive of game companies. His own attitude bit him in the arse.

Whatever the outcome, I just hope CDPR retains the rights to make more Witcher games.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

If he's in the wrong he'll lose in court then. No need for people to get angry over it.

He's an *******. People can be annoyed with him if they like.

 

[OutOfBoose]

That's certainly an interesting interpretation of "gross discrepancy". If it's the real meaning of that paragraph, I guess, AS can say goodbye to his $16 mil.

 

[Loden Greatstorm]

Filming begins very, very soon.

 

[Iceman]

Set pics asap please.

 

[Iceman]

He took money for selling rights on Witcher in video games. His opinion was any kind of media other than books are trash and not worthy. Never really even praised CDPR for work they done and always tried distance his books from video games. But what made his books and him popular was exactly CDPR's Witcher serial at least globally speaking. Because of them he sold even more books.

It's a real shame as I like to get behind the guys who create this stuff. So much better when things work out well on all fronts. But he really seems to have toxic and antiquated views on other media.

 

[TheVileOne]

Creators simply need to get a smart businessman they can trust who is reliable to read the fine print for them.

 

[Lilbaz]

Creators simply need to get a smart businessman they can trust who is reliable to read the fine print for them.

Not in poland they don't. Even if you sell all the rights for a lump sum the law states if the profit the company makes is far more than the value of the renumeration they pay more.

 

[OutOfBoose]

Brandon Sanderson:

I'm an admirer of Mistborn series. And suggested it several times for movie or game adaptation.

I think the man speaks truth. Games like The Witcher - massive positive influence on the genre.

 

[Lilbaz]

Brandon Sanderson:

I'm an admirer of Mistborn series. And suggested it several times for movie or game adaptation.

I think the man speaks truth. Games like The Witcher - massive positive influence on the genre.

Never read it. When he took over the wheel of time there was a noticeable difference in style that i didn't really get into. Not saying he's a bad writer, not a fan of stephen kings either and he's obviously great.

 

[OutOfBoose]

Never read it. When he took over the wheel of time there was a noticeable difference in style that i didn't really get into. Not saying he's a bad writer, not a fan of stephen kings either and he's obviously great.

And I actually didn't read The Wheel of Time. When I saw the number of books it had I just thought "um, nope". I heard plenty of positive feedbacks, including on Sanderson's work for the cycle. But I'm just not ready for a book universe like that.

 

[Lilbaz]

And I actually didn't read The Wheel of Time. When I saw the number of books it had I just thought "um, nope". I heard plenty of positive feedbacks, including on Sanderson's work for the cycle. But I'm just not for a book universe like that.

I started when it first came out. Didn't know how long it would be.

 

[TheVileOne]

I very much respect Sanderson for writing that. I think the point is that The Witcher 3 was sort of a transcendent title. It's not just a hack and slash monster game. A large point of the game is that depending on how you play, you can avoid violence and bloodshed a significant amount of the time. Geralt usual policy is not to kill thinking monsters, which you can uphold.

You can talk your way out of a fight, or you can use your signs to avoid one.

It also makes you think about the consequences of your actions. Your intention might be to do a good deed, but then it becomes way more complicated.

And I think that's keeping in spirit with Sapkowski's stories. This is the type of game that supports uplifts the whole fantasy genre. They didn't make Sony's The Dark Tower here. Wasn't a slapdash, cash grab effort.

 

[OutOfBoose]

I think it's not really new that Witcher 3 allows to avoid violence. It was done before. What wasn't done before - great respect for the source material and passion+skill that was put into an adaptation. I just hope that CDPR sets an example how to adapt a book and more adaptations will follow. Instead of yet another Devil May Cry (no disrespect to DMC fans), I'd rather have Mistborn. What books offer (better books, obviously) - much stronger writing and characters. And CDPR exploited (in a good way) it to the max to great results.

 

[Loden Greatstorm]

Can we steer back to the topic at hand please....

 

[TheVileOne]

I mean it's still Witcher and Sapkowski related. There's just not much to talk about for right now until we get new casting announcements or shooting starts.

I mean if you want a topic, the Witcher subreddit users are convinced Anya Chalotra has been cast as Yennefer because a nude actress website called Recapped.

 

[Loden Greatstorm]

I mean it's still Witcher and Sapkowski related. There's just not much to talk about for right now until we get new casting announcements or shooting starts.

I mean if you want a topic, the Witcher subreddit users are convinced Anya Chalotra has been cast as Yennefer because a nude actress website called Recapped.

I hope that rumour isn’t true... where did all that talk come from? Why are people so convinced?

 

[zenith16]

He took money for selling rights on Witcher in video games. His opinion was any kind of media other than books are trash and not worthy. Never really even praised CDPR for work they done and always tried distance his books from video games. But what made his books and him popular was exactly CDPR's Witcher serial at least globally speaking. Because of them he sold even more books.

oh I see you all know about this good.
There is something very wrong with this man. if he'll do this with the games series . ohhoHo, who knows what he'll do with this net flix show.

Witcher author demands $16 million from CD Projekt
4 days ago | 20 Comments
The author of The Witcher book series is demanding 60 million Polish Zloty (roughly $16 million USD) in royalties from game developer CD Projekt. A statement posted by CD Projekt overnight shows that Andrzej Sapkowski, who published eight Witcher novels between 1992 and 2013, “expects payment of additional royalties between himself” and the developer of the acclaimed Witcher trilogy.

CD Projekt says that on October 1, it “received an official demand for payment filed by plenipotentiaries of Mr Andrzej Sapkowski.” The author expects royalties in addition to the deal he made to sell the rights to his novel series to the developer in the early 2000s.

An English translation of a letter from Sapkowski’s lawyers claims that “the compensation remitted to the author is too low given the benefits obtained in association with the use of that author’s work.” Assuming a typical royalty rate of “approximately 5-15% of the profits generated”, Sapkowski’s lawyers are asking for 6% “of the profits obtained” from CDPR’s use of The Witcher. Based on a report from CDPR,Read more


source: PCGN