https://www.gamespot.com/articles/cyberpunk-2077-dev-acquires-co-developer-digital-scapes-to-create-its-first-canadian-studio/1100-6489514/?utm_source=gamefaqs&utm_medium=partner&utm_content=news_module&utm_campaign=homepage

The studio will be re-named CD Project Red Vancouver, CDP has worked with the studio for three years and will be there first official studio in North America.

Hmm, Red Vancouver, sounds like a movie about russians with Skotish Akcents.

It looks like selling games that don’t even work is a profitable business model.

This is part of today's Strategy update for the coming years:
https://www.cdprojekt.com/en/media/news/cd-projekt-updates-its-strategy/
The only mention of GOG is using GOG Galaxy to build online communities for their games and to incorporate more online content in future games. See slide 24 of their presentation - "Online gaming is essential to grow all our franchises".
I haven't watch the presentation yet, but I doubt there will be much more there about GOG either.

Also on CDPs site: https://www.cdprojekt.com/en/media/news/cd-projekt-acquires-the-canadian-digital-scapes-game-development-studio/

I would like to know how much money and where the it comes from?

Releasing CP2077 unfinished got them money for this?

I knew it - as any gaming studio that grows while focused on single-player games, they now think they've reached a point where this is not enough and want to cash in on that multiplayer madness. Get ready for a CDPR battle royale (marketed as an immersive open-world bla bla). It actually sold quite well, refunds considered. That $200M hype-inducing marketing budget payed off.

I guess CDPR decided to combine the worst of Blizzard, BioWare and Bethesda to create the ultimate beloved game dev downfall story.

Pretty much. Here hoping Microsoft does justice and make ZeniMax Media better which I unfortunately doubt a bit.

Most who purchase games do not refund them.

Advertising and a big marketing budget can drive large initial sales.

As someone above said "Bethesda has done this for years."

No Man's Sky proved that even an "unfinished" indie game -- with the right amount of "corporate hype" -- can sell enough to make investors happy and fund further development for years.

So, that's the "plan" now I guess? Ugh

While GOG does need Galaxy online functionality in order to stop selling "hobbled" games, an emphasis on online sounds... scary...?

By the way... As I initially thought, this was pulled, since now CP2077 has bad "street rep". My idea is that they will spin off a new IP (or make a game based on an existing one, but outside of The Witcher/CP2077), to test those multiplayer/subscription-based waters. What a dystopia... but can't say I did not see this coming.

Unfortunately with consoles pushing digital only systems and "Subscription services" rather than goods you actually own..... well...... it doesn't bode well for the consumer in the future.

Even in the PC market the push to online only services is quite real with Microsoft and EA as well as Google and Amazon.

That's very true. But there are two responses to that reality: 1) join them and profit, or 2) start a resistance movement and also potentially profit (the riskier path). I guess it's all about the low hanging fruit these days...

There's also this: But it's hard to take their word on anything these days, so we'll have to live and see. There's also the "primarily" angle, so it might just be the usual doublespeak.

That's very true. But there are two responses to that reality: 1) join them and profit, or 2) start a resistance movement and also potentially profit (the riskier path). I guess it's all about the low hanging fruit these days... 2 sounds like the old GOG rhetoric

Burn!

Yep - worked out quite well for Bethesda. I always remember the disaster of the Skyrim launch - but then again, the hubris of insisting you released on 11.11.11 was never going to end well, particularly when added to the fact that every RPG they released has had not only a tonne of bugs but some that also never got fixed.