You may have heard recent rumblings about Witcher studio CD Projekt gearing up to fend off a hostile takeover. The rumors were rooted in the schedule of an "extraordinary general meeting of shareholders," translated by NeoGAF user Boskee, which said attendees would be voting on whether to buy back $64 million of its own shares, whether to merge its brands, and whether to change its statute to put new limits on the voting rights of high-volume shareholders.
The changes are meant to make the company more resistant to unwelcome overtures from major players, but as Polish site RP.pl said (Google translated), "The question is whether this is a hypothetical situation, or whether the investor is already on the horizon." Fortunately for those who want to see CD Projekt remain independent, it told WCCFTech that the situation is very much the former.
"The proposal is not a reaction to any current events affecting CD Projekt. Rather, it is meant as insurance against future hypothetical scenarios which may never materialize," a rep said. "We wish to safeguard the interests of minority shareholders in a hypothetical case where a major shareholder emerges professing a business and strategic vision which conflicts with ours."
This isn't the first time a rumor of a possible CDPR takeover has come to light: In September 2015, EA was reported to be looking into acquiring the company, which also proved to be false. I was glad then, and I'm glad now: CD Projekt is hardly the scrappy little underdog it was ten years ago, but it still marches to its own very unique beat. And even though it hasn't exactly been prolific over the past decade, I'm more than happy to take quality over quantity any day.
