Rumours busted: Electronic Arts is not buying CD Projekt or GOG

Did you hear the rumor yesterday about EA negotiating to buy out CD Projekt, or maybe GOG? Well it's not true. In fact, the basis for the whole thing was so thin that we just rolled our eyes and moved on to more serious matters, like this astonishing Irn Bru water cooling rig. But just in case there were any doubts, CD Projekt co-founder Marcin Iwiński issued a statement today saying it was all a bunch of hooey.

It all started when Dark Side of Gaming posted a claim from an unnamed CD Projekt Red employee who said that EA reps were in the process of visiting the studio and meeting with management. "We are not going to release any game soon, so for sure it’s not about any publishing deal, so the only possible reason for EA guys being here is that they want to buy us," the source said. A copy of a paystub was provided to prove his or her authenticity as a CDPR employee. And that was the extent of it—thin, like I said.

CD Projekt Community Lead Marcin Momot was the first to respond to the story, tweeting, "Just bumped into Marcin Iwiński - it was new to him. I guess the 'informer' has better insight than the @CDPROJEKTRED founder. :)" But the mere thought of EA buying up CD Projekt was enough to drive plenty of people nuts, and so the rumor gained traction—enough traction that Iwiński, on behalf of the CDPR board, issued an official denial.

"We usually don’t comment on rumors, but this one has become quite viral and we think it deserves to be put to bed: we are not talking with anyone regarding selling CD Project Red or GOG.com. Period," he wrote on the Witcher 3 forum. "And the payslip is a fake—it was not issued by our company."

So there you have it. A slight wisp of smoke. No fire whatsoever.

Thanks, GamesIndustry.

@astreamz Just bumped into Marcin Iwiński - it was new to him. I guess the "informer" has better insight than the @CDPROJEKTRED founder. :)September 14, 2015

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.