How CD Projekt Put Poland on the Global Gaming Map
Today, Poland is widely respected as one of Europe’s leading video game hubs. That reputation owes a lot to one company.
CD Projekt helped transform Poland from a market known mainly for consuming games into a country capable of creating some of the world's biggest gaming franchises.
The company’s journey began in Warsaw in 1994, when founders Marcin Iwiński and Michał Kiciński started importing and distributing video games in post-communist Poland. At the time, the local gaming industry barely existed and piracy was widespread.
From Game Distributor to Developer
Before creating its own games, CD Projekt became known for bringing international titles to Polish players. The company gained a strong reputation by translating major releases into Polish, helping grow the country's gaming culture during the 1990s. Titles such as Baldur's Gate became especially important milestones for local players.
In 2002, the company launched CD Projekt Red, a development studio focused on creating original games. The ambitious goal was to build a major role-playing game based on The Witcher novels by Polish fantasy author Andrzej Sapkowski.
The Witcher Changed Everything
When The Witcher launched in 2007, it introduced international players to a fantasy world inspired by Slavic folklore rather than traditional Western fantasy.
The real breakthrough came with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Critics praised its storytelling, open world, and complex characters. More than a decade after release, the game continues to sell millions of copies and has surpassed 65 million units sold worldwide.
Suddenly, gamers everywhere knew the name CD Projekt Red.
And they knew it came from Poland.
"Lesser evil... Lesser evil is something I would never choose in my life."
A Global Company From Warsaw
CD Projekt expanded beyond The Witcher with projects such as Cyberpunk 2077 and the digital gaming platform GOG.
The company grew from a small startup operating out of Warsaw into one of Europe's most recognizable gaming brands. Its headquarters remain in Warsaw, while development teams also operate in Kraków and Wrocław.
For many international players, CD Projekt became their first exposure to modern Polish creativity, technology, and storytelling.
Why It Matters for Poland
CD Projekt's success did more than create popular games.
It helped prove that world-class entertainment could come from Central Europe. The company inspired a new generation of Polish developers and contributed to the rapid growth of Poland's gaming industry, which now includes dozens of internationally recognized studios.
Few companies have done more to promote Poland's creative economy on a global stage.
What started with two friends selling games in Warsaw eventually became one of the most influential success stories in modern European gaming.