CD Projekt co-founder hasn’t played The Witcher 3

CD Projekt co-founder Michal Kicinski hasn’t played The Witcher 3 nor does he intend to. Although he used to play video games a lot, he discovered there are more interesting things to do in life.

If you were a big fish in a company that published AAA video games you would probably play all your products, especially the biggest ones, right? Well, that’s the way of Michal Kicinski, co-founder of CD Projekt, the Polish company that gave the world The Witcher series. Despite it being the publisher’s biggest success so far, Kicinski never played The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Actually, in an interview with Gazeta.pl he admitted that he is no longer very much into video games. Referring to the days when he used to play a lot – games like Diablo, StarCraft or Counter-Strike – he said:

Every time I entered the world of video games, it would somehow throw me off balance. Therefore, I’ve made a conscious decision that there are things equally or even more interesting than games, which also make me feel better – mentally, physically and emotionally.

About his not playing The Witcher 3, Kicinski explained that the game is simply too big:

There is a moment in which you must decide how you want to spend the dozens of hours of your life. At the point where I’m at now, I believe that the real world is just more interesting than the virtual one, even though the latter can also be interesting and compelling.

Although he is one of the main shareholders in CD Projekt, Kicinski hasn’t been actively involved in the company’s works for several years. Instead, he has recently opened a vegan restaurant in Warsaw, Poland (called Wegemama). He also runs a meditation retreat in Peru as well as a couple of other businesses. All in all, Kicinski has made it to the 65th place on Forbes’ list of the richest Poles.

What about Cyberpunk 2077?

Asked about Cyberpunk 2077, the next game by CD Projekt RED, Michal Kicinski admitted he didn’t have more information than any normal Internet user. However, he noted that the game may have a short – about 6-month long – marketing campaign, referring to an interview given some time ago by his brother, CD Projekt’s CEO Adam Kicinski. This is what he said, when asked about the release date of Cyberpunk 2077:

Hahaha... I know as much as any other person, so I just patiently wait. However, Adam has clearly stated during one of the conferences that the period between the release date announcement and the launch itself may be very short. Creating a short – let’s say 6-month long – but intensive marketing campaign is an ideal plan, but it’s hard to achieve. Only well-respected companies that have proper financial resources can pull it off. It's sort of a communication blitzkrieg. You have to be well prepared, but you can win a lot.

Head over here to read most of the interview translated into English by a Reddit user.