Adam Kiciński is a key player in the global gaming industry. He helped turn CD Projekt from a small Polish video game distributor into one of the most famous game developers in the world. Kiciński was born on September 18, 1969. He joined CD Projekt in 1994, not long after his brother Michał Kiciński and Marcin Iwiński started the company. His nearly thirty years with the company, including his time as CEO from 2010 to 2023, have been marked by new ideas, strength, and a dedication to storytelling that has shaped CD Projekt’s legacy.
Getting Started and Moving Up at CD Projekt
Kiciński studied physics at the University of Warsaw but didn’t finish his degree. He loved video games so much that he became CD Projekt’s first employee. He was in charge of marketing from 1995 to 1999 and commercial from 1999 to 2004, and he was a big part of building the company’s retail network in its early years. In 2004, he started co-directing CD Projekt Red, the company’s game development division. By 2006, he was in charge of the studio’s first big title based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy novels, The Witcher (2007).
Kiciński turned CD Projekt from a small distributor of games like Baldur’s Gate into a global powerhouse. His strategic vision was very important in the 2009 reverse takeover of Optimus S.A., which helped CD Projekt get onto the Warsaw Stock Exchange and helped it grow. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings came out in 2011, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt came out in 2015. It sold over 40 million copies and won 251 “Game of the Year” awards, making CD Projekt a leader in role-playing games.
How to Deal with Problems in Cyberpunk 2077
There were problems during Kiciński’s time as CEO. Cyberpunk 2077 came out in 2020 and got a lot of bad reviews because of technical problems, especially on consoles. This hurt the company’s reputation and stock value for a while. Kiciński’s dedication to quality, on the other hand, led CD Projekt to spend a lot of money on updates, which led to the successful Phantom Liberty expansion and version 2.0 of the game, which sold more than 25 million copies by 2023 and got good reviews again.
Kiciński said in an interview in 2023 that CD Projekt’s focus is on storytelling rather than technology. “We are not a tech company; we are entertainment,” he said. Our strength is making stories and worlds that move people. This philosophy has shaped how the company makes immersive experiences, setting it apart from its competitors.
The company’s culture and leadership style
Kiciński led by working together and reaching a consensus. He said that managing CD Projekt was a group effort and that all board members had to agree on important decisions. This model, which was based on trust and openness, created a culture of creativity and resilience that helped the company deal with problems in the industry while staying independent. Kiciński repeatedly denied rumors of acquisitions, saying that CD Projekt was committed to staying independent and had rules in place to stop hostile takeovers.
The Polish Business Council gave him the Jan Wejchert Prize for Vision and Innovation in 2012, which showed how much he had done for the global gaming industry. Under his leadership, CD Projekt became Europe’s most valuable game company, hired more than 1,200 people, and joined the WIG20 index on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
Change to a New Role
Kiciński said in October 2023 that he would leave his job as CEO at the end of 2023 and become chief strategy officer in 2024. He would then leave the management board to run for the supervisory board in 2025. This change was similar to what co-founder Marcin Iwiński did in 2022, and it was made to make sure that the company was in line with Poland’s new gender equality laws and governance changes. Kiciński said he was sure about CD Projekt’s future because of its strong strategy and the smooth transition of leadership to joint CEOs Adam Badowski and Michał Nowakowski.
Kiciński wrote to shareholders about his 30-year journey: “I’m incredibly proud of what the company has done.” CD Projekt Red has made four amazing games and three successful expansions, all of which are now part of the history of this industry. He thinks that his experience will help him lead the company as a supervisor, which will help it succeed in the long term.
Past and Future
During Adam Kiciński’s time as CEO, CD Projekt went from being a small Polish studio to a world leader, thanks to hit games like The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 and the digital distribution platform GOG.com. His emphasis on quality, independence, and storytelling has had a lasting effect on the gaming industry. As CD Projekt works on games like The Witcher IV and Cyberpunk 2, Kiciński’s strategic oversight from the supervisory board will likely continue to shape the company’s path, making sure it stays a leader in gaming innovation.
