CD Projekt's remaster of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt could generate 100-125 million zloty (approximately $26-32.5 million) by year-end, according to Krzysztof Tkocz, an analyst at Erste Securities Polska, who projects 3 million copies sold across the launch window.

What's driving the bullish case?

Tkocz's model assumes demand from gamers who missed the original release — a pool of potential buyers unaffected by the free-upgrade offer granted to existing owners. The analyst pegs sales at 3 million units for the period running from the September 29 launch through December 31 of his stated forecast horizon, framing the projection as attainable even though anyone who already owns The Witcher 3 receives the remaster at no additional charge.

"We expect the premiere [of the remaster] to spark great interest and potentially allow the game to approach the record for the number of simultaneous users in Steam," Tkocz said in remarks cited by Polish outlets. "It should also attract a new audience."

Is the early data backing the forecast?

Yes, and faster than Tkocz's model anticipated. SteamDB recorded a peak concurrent player count of 113,430 within hours of the remaster's debut, surpassing the previous The Witcher 3 Steam record of 103,329 — a figure set in January 2020 during the launch of Netflix's "The Witcher" television adaptation. The concurrent count continues to climb, per SteamDB.

The remaster ships on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and Nintendo Switch 2, the last of which is a new platform target for the franchise. CD Projekt had not disclosed official remaster sales figures as of writing.

What changes for studios weighing a remaster?

Three variables stand out from the Erste model. First, IP equity: a single flagship release can carry a publisher through a decade of post-launch tail revenue if the franchise sustains external touchpoints, in this case the Netflix series credited with the 2020 Steam spike.

Second, platform breadth: adding Switch 2 and the current Xbox and PlayStation consoles expands the addressable market without requiring the PC SKU to be rebuilt, a key cost lever for studios contemplating similar revisions.

Third, pricing posture: a free upgrade for existing owners reframes remaster revenue as net-new acquisition rather than back-catalogue monetization. The Witcher 3 is, in effect, being used to reactivate lapsed players.

For mid-tier studios considering similar projects, the implied unit economics — $26-32.5M across 3 million units — translate to roughly $8-11 per copy on average, a workable margin profile for a touch-up release rather than a full remake.

What to watch next

Erste's projection hinges on sustaining the post-launch curve rather than peaking in the first week. CD Projekt's next quarterly report, or any verified Steam milestone such as surpassing the all-time peak and holding it through the holiday window, will either validate or pressure-test Tkocz's forecast. SteamDB's live tracker remains the cleanest real-time signal until then.