Or the other way around, it's still a bit of a blur

Oct 23, 2009 10:05 GMT  ·  By
Maybe Geralt of Rivia could solve this mystery, he has a habit of cutting right to the point
   Maybe Geralt of Rivia could solve this mystery, he has a habit of cutting right to the point

The stock market and the companies that operate under its laws are some of the most ambiguous and mind-bending contraptions of the modern world. It may have been on top of the Polish market in the '90s, but, right now, Optimus S.A. is connected to a respirator, a pacemaker and has a flickering candle above its head. The PC assembly company is not dead, but it definitely looks like a zombie. However, it seems it has managed to gather enough strength to get a hold of CD Projekt.

The developer is responsible for one of the biggest RPGs of 2007, as The Witcher was awarded the “RPG Game of the Year” title by PC Gamer US and the “Best Fantasy Game Soundtrack” one in the 2007 Radio Rivendell Fantasy Awards, amongst many other titles. With this being this big of a hit, you would have expected one of the big names of the gaming industry to take interest in the company, not a local PC-assembly company on its dying bed. But the stock market charade enters the stage, and things begin to sound a little bit odd at the least.

According to a CD Projekt spokesperson, the company signed a letter of intent, not an agreement. “In short,” he explained that, “this is a kind of share swap between Polish stock company Optimus S.A. and CD Projekt Investment (which is the holding company owner of CDP Publishing, CDP RED, GOG.com, Metro and Porting House).”

Right, so, basically, that would mean that Optimus S.A.'s previous plans to buy out CD Projekt were fulfilled. But that's not really the case. As the stock market twists and turns, the bottom line is that the shareholders of CD Projekt Investment will become the owners of Optimus S.A. “Since Optimus is a stock market company CD Projekt will in fact go public and have access to all stock instruments. Ultimately, this means money for future development of the whole company.”

Things may sound confusing to us unimportant people, according to game site Gamikaze, as CD Projekt is now part of Optimus for the deal was closed for 63 million zlotych or $22.5 million. CD Projekt will now also enter the Polish stock market through this agreement. If the stock market isn't responsible for all this confusion, maybe something just got lost in translation. The official statement of Adam Kiciński of CDP Investment tries to shed some light on the subject, and at least explains CD's point of view.

“The transaction fully accomplishes the strategic objectives of CD Projekt. First of all, as a company we enter the stock market and that means gaining access to capital. That enables us to continue to grow. We also got instant financing and so we can calmly continue our current operations in the times of the [economic] crisis. And all of that while keeping control of the company, what has been crucial to us. What is worth noting is the fact that we join forces with the company that (just like us) influenced the shape of the Polish computer market throughout the years.”