Recently, Polish game giant CD Projekt game developer once again announced a shocking news-it will start a strategic cooperation with Scopely, the game upstart responsible for Monopoly GO, to develop a new IP together. Although both parties are tight-lipped about the details of the cooperation, this cooperation between the console 3A studio and the mobile game company has triggered intense discussions among players.

It is worth noting that these two developers are giants in their respective fields. The developer of Witcher series became popular again with Cyberpunk 2077 some time ago, and the developer of Monopoly GO recently even acquired the publisher of the large-scale game Pokémon GO. The cooperation between the two will inevitably collide with a wonderful chemical reaction, and people can't help but guess what kind of surprises they will bring us.

Cross-Border Cooperation

This cooperation marks CD Projekt's first attempt in the field of mobile games, and choosing Scopely as a partner is also an excellent decision-it not only brought us the phenomenal game Monopoly GO, but also recently acquired Pokémon GO developer Niantic for a sky-high price of 3.5 billion US dollars. However, Niantic executives Kei Kawai and Ed Wu will continue to stay. This means that Scopely will master the technology of both Pokémon GO and Monopoly GO.

CD Projekt co-CEO once said that they are always looking for innovative narrative carriers, and mobile terminals are reshaping the boundaries of the gaming industry. This statement coincides with the previous strategy of Scopely CEO. Many people believe that this cooperation is likely to adopt a hybrid model of CD Projekt's world view architecture + Scopely F2P model. I dare not imagine how exciting it will be.

Mobile Game Market

When the cost of console game development has soared to the level of US$200 million, mobile terminals are becoming a new hot spot. Data shows that Scopely's Monopoly GO set an astonishing revenue myth last year, and Niantic's Pokémon GO's cumulative revenue also reached a new breakthrough. On the other hand, CD Projekt's mobile terminal revenue accounted for a pitiful proportion in fiscal 2023. Therefore, this cooperation is undoubtedly the key to opening its new growth curve.

It is worth noting how their technologies will be integrated. Niantic's Real World Platform can enhance the immersion of the open world, while Scopely's Facebook social chain transmission mechanism is coupled with CD Projekt's iconic mesh task system. Some people commented that this cooperation is like an innovative dish, which will either achieve great success or become a disaster. The new experiment is extremely challenging.

IP Adaptation Speculation

Although the official is tight-lipped about the specific project, many people have already imagined it, including me. Here are some of my IP adaptation speculations.

The Witcher

First of all, this cooperation is likely to adapt a mobile derivative based on Witcher series, which may adopt the chessboard strategy gameplay of Monopoly GO and integrate Gwent combat system. Considering Scopely's monetization experience, the skin trading system and Season Pass may play an important role. Or maybe they will use an item similar to Monopoly Go Stickers.

Cyberpunk 2077

Of course, Scopely may also choose to continue the popularity of Cyberpunk 2077 and develop a cyberpunk world exploration game. Players can build gang strongholds between real blocks and obtain blueprints for prosthetic modification through augmented reality scanning technology - of course, some rare parts may need to be unlocked through trading.

New Original IP

In addition, the two parties may also create multi-platform works with an imaginary worldview, with a shared economic system between the host and mobile terminals. However, considering that CD Projekt is currently developing The Witcher 4, this possibility is relatively low.

Player Opinions

In CDPR section of Reddit, players are both excited and worried. The excitement is that both companies are very good in their own fields, and the works produced by the cooperation must not be too bad; the worry is that they are afraid that the final presentation will be just a money-making tool. However, some people speculate that the new IP may adopt a lighter and social design route to satisfy the public's gaming fun, rather than focusing only on a few hardcore players.

Double Challenge

For CD Projekt, this cooperation is like dancing on the edge of a cliff. Because they need to allocate resources reasonably during the development of The Witcher 4, balance the narrative depth expected by core players and the fragmented experience on mobile terminals, and avoid repeating the disaster of Cyberpunk 2077's first release. It can be said that there are many difficulties.

Scopely faces the problem of adapting 3A narrative to mobile terminals, how to find the golden balance between plot advancement and Daily Quest.

In short, the only certainty at present is that the cooperation between CD Projekt and Scopely will definitely attract everyone's attention. As for what they will do? At least for now, let us put aside our worries and wait for the last news.