In today’s media-driven world, if you have an IP that is truly “well-known,” you’d be wise not just to make one entry in one specific media but to branch out into other mediums if the ability is there. When it comes to video games, many developers or publishers have tried to make various adaptations of its properties, whether it being in the animated space or the live-action space. The results have been mixed, as we’ve noted numerous times on this show, but the potential is always there for developers like CD Projekt Red to make the most of it if they feel it’s a good move.
We bring up CD Projekt Red because GameRant noticed a new job listing that made special mention of its two biggest franchises and how people applying for the position could help develop TV or movie properties based around them. The position itself is for a writer/editor, and the “Daily Duties” section of the job listing asked for not only knowledge of “existing IPs” within the company but also the ability to be able to write scripts for various mediums, including comics, television, and movies. They also made sure to cover themselves by saying you’ll also be writing trailers, commercials, and other things associated with promoting games.
It’s obvious the two franchises that the team is talking about here are The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077, both of whom have already had mediums outside of the initial games made by the team.
For example, Geralt of Rivia is the star of a Netflix live-action series that will soon get a fourth season and will end with Season 5. Thus, there is potential for a new story to be told within its universe. Oh, and they also did an animated story featuring his mentor on Netflix, so multiple mediums have been touched there.
On the other side of the coin, Cyberpunk 2077 Edgerunnerswas an anime set within the world of the game without directly tying to the characters within. It was a bold attempt to flesh out the cyberpunk world, and it worked gangbusters. In fact, most credit the rebirth of the title with the anime, as it was incredibly well made by Studio Trigger. Thus, it wouldn’t be surprising if CD Projekt Red wanted to do the same kind of thing again to try and build up hype for its next entry into the IP.
While all of this is speculative at the moment, you can’t deny that there is a lot of sense in doing something like this.
