Analyst: Cyberpunk 2077 Potentially the Most Profitable Game Ever
Cyberpunk 2077 stirs up huge emotions among the players. The production has established itself as the most anticipated game of recent times. Analyst Neil Campling shares this opinion, and says the game could become the most profitable production ever.
Almost seven years have passed since the first announcement of Cyberpunk 2077. Since then, the title has enjoyed a steadily growing interest among the players. Just to remind you, last year, the game received a Golden Joystick as the Most Wanted Game, and the gameplay from E3 2018, was viewed more than 15 million times on YouTube. Everything indicates that it could be the greatest success in the output of CD Projekt RED. This opinion is shared by Neil Campling, analyst at Mirabaud Securities, who claims that Cyberpunk 2077 has a chance to become the most profitable game in the history of electronic entertainment.
In an interview for the Strefa Inwestorow (Investor Zone; full text available in Polish), Neil Campling said that the promotional materials of Cyberpunk 2077 presented so far made a huge impression on the entire industry. Such a positive reception may translate into the greatest commercial success in the history of the video games market.
In our opinion, the target price of CD PROJEKT's shares is 320 PLN (around $100 ed. note). We were at E3 last year and saw the demo of Cyberpunk 2077. The game is very impressive. We talked to the players, to other developers - everyone was thoroughly impressed and everyone is eagerly awaiting the release. It seems that Cyberpunk 2077 is the most anticipated game of all time. Interestingly, this effect was achieved without extensive advertising and marketing.
I would like to stress that we believe that Cyberpunk 2077 has the potential to be the most profitable game in the history of the industry. Of course, it is not clear whether this will be the case, as there are many risk factors. Nevertheless, our underlying assumptions are that Cyberpunk 2077 CD PROJEKT will sell 15 million copies in the year of its debut, and 18 million games in the following year. This will generate revenue of PLN 2 bn. in the first year and PLN 2.4 bn. (roughly around $625M and $750M respectively, ed. note) in the second year.
Neil Campling also compared CD Projekt RED to Take Two Interactive, whose back catalogue includes the BioShock and Grand Theft Auto series. In this way, he pointed out the emphasis that the Polish studio places on the quality of its productions, focusing on rare release of highly refined games.
Of course, not everything is certain. Campling emphasized that despite the size of the market and great chances for success, single-player productions, including Cyberpunk 2077, must be exceptionally good to achieve it.
It should be remembered that game developers in 2018 generated about $145 bn. revenue. The market is huge and growing. That means there's room for many winners. Just because Fortnite is a success doesn't mean Cyberpunk won't be a success. Anyway, please note that God of War, for example, was a smash hit few people had expected. Single-player games still have a future, but they need to deliver stunning quality.
So far, the date of release of Cyberpunk 2077 remains a mystery. However, it is known that the production is headed for the PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One consoles. CD Projekt RED confirmed its presence at this year's E3, announcing that E3 2019 will be the most important event in the history of the studio. So, it is highly possible that we will finally learn the most important information about the game soon.
