Instant Alert: This Polish game developer you've never heard of just became a $1 billion company

MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS   |   UNSUBSCRIBE   |   VIEW ONLINE   This Polish game developer you've never heard of just became a $1 billion company by Ben Gilbert on Sep 2, 2016, 10:08 AM Ever heard of CD Projekt Red? Didn't think so. But you might know the company's work: The wildly popular "Witcher" game series, for instance? The company also runs popular online game store GOG.com, a place where you can buy games old and new, all without any DRM, which disallows copying or sharing. And now, between that popular series and the company's burgeoning game store, CD Projekt Red is worth more than $1 billion. Here's what you need to know. SEE ALSO: The former Prime Minister of Poland loves this video game so much he gave it to Obama as a gift CD Projekt Red was born out of piracy. Co-founders Marcin Iwiński and Michał Kiciński used to sell pirated copies of games in their native Warsaw, Poland. We're talking late '80s, early '90s. When the Soviet Union fell and Poland transitioned to capitalism, CD Projekt Red was founded. The company's initial focus was on localizing Western games for Polish and Russian audiences. It was this type of work that led to the studio's first original game, "The Witcher." See the rest of the story at Business Insider   Share the latest business news with your network: Email sent to:   |   Manage your email preferences   |   Unsubscribe Terms of Service   |   Privacy Policy Business Insider. 150 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011