“It was stupid” - The Witcher book writer on turning down a share of CD Projekt’s profits
"Well they brought a big bag of money,” Sapkowski told Eurogamer in an interview. “What I expect from an adaptation: a big bag of money. That is all.
"I agreed they would write a completely new story using my characters, my ontology of this crazy world. But they would create completely new stories. I said, 'Why not? Please, please, show how good you are.'"
Sapkowski viewed videogames as “stupid” and he didn’t think CD Projekt’s adaptation would amount to much. He was even offered a share of the profits, which would have netted him a lot of money over the years, but he turned the offer down.
"I was stupid enough to sell them rights to the whole bunch," he said. "They offered me a percentage of their profits. I said, 'No, there will be no profit at all - give me all my money right now! The whole amount.' It was stupid. I was stupid enough to leave everything in their hands because I didn't believe in their success. But who could foresee their success? I couldn't."
And what a success it was. In fact, it got to the point where, outside of Poland, The Witcher was more well-known as a series of games. Additionally, English publishers altered book blurbs and art to match the games. "It was f***ing bad for me," commented Sapkowski.
Read the full interview at Eurogamer.
