Nintendo’s new theme park is a game changer // CD Projekt Red can’t catch a break
By: Matt Eng
Tags: Gaming, Gaming News, Video Game Journalism, Video Game News, Videogames

Nintendo — the Disney of video games?

Credit: Nintendo

What’s the fuss?

Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Super Mario, gave us an inside look at the upcoming Super Nintendo World theme park, and it’s quite impressive.

The situation

Nintendo’s partnership with Universal Parks is finally bearing fruit. After several years of declining gaming revenue, Nintendo partnered with Universal Parks in 2015 to in order to develop their proprietary franchises (Super Mario, Pokémon, The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, etc.) as concepts for Universal theme parks. Unveiled on December 2016 and originally set to open before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the park is now set to open on February 4, 2021. If you decide to go, don’t be surprised if the price of admission is high — this park costed investors U.S. $351 million after all. Believe it or not, this price tag is greater than how much Universal spent on licensing and developing the first Wizarding World theme park based on the Harry Potter franchise.

Boiling it down

Gaming has come a long way — from being a niche demographic with volatile bestsellers, to the largest and fastest growing form of media with huge franchises. Disney has Marvel. Nintendo has Super Mario. Disney has Star Wars. Nintendo has The Legend of Zelda. Disney has Mickey Mouse. Nintendo has Pokémon. The lines between traditional media and video games are continuously getting blurrier. With this theme park, it’s clear that investors are expecting great returns, but it’s further evidence that video games have truly pierced the mainstream. If you don’t know who Mario, Luigi, Bowser, and Peach are, it’s likely you soon will.

You’ve been (potentially) served, CD Projekt Red!

Credit: @Legolas on Twitter

What’s the fuss?

Internal discourse plagues CD Projekt Red as they face a potential class action lawsuit from investors over “misrepresentation in order to receive financial benefits” of the developer’s latest release, Cyberpunk 2077.

The situation

Video game reviewers will usually be provided with a pre-release copy of the game from the developer / publisher, which allows them to publish their reviews before the game is officially released. CD Projekt Red only provided reviewers with a PC copy of Cyberpunk 2077 and did not allow them to showcase their own footage within their reviews. Given the game’s numerous post-release issues, especially with performance on the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One, it’s likely we now know why. In response, Polish attorney and CD Projekt Red investor Mikołaj Orzechowski as well as the New York law firm Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP are looking into separate potential lawsuits against the company for providing misleading information.

Boiling it down

After CD Projekt Red released The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in 2015, the developer became highly beloved for making high-quality, consumer friendly games that were adored by critics and gamers alike. Thus, it’s quite extraordinary that with the release of Cyberpunk 2077, more than five years of accrued goodwill has dissipated within less than a month. In addition to the lawsuits, internal reports of intense crunch and mismanagement from leadership further tarnished the developer’s reputation. Although it’s too early to say whether CD Projekt Red has completely fallen-from-grace akin to some other now-infamous studios, it’s clear that if there’s one thing gamers uphold — it’s transparency. Luckily, CD Projekt Red understand this and plan to undergo significant damage control in order to win back the hearts of gamers around the globe.