Forbes names Techland CEO Paweł Marchewka Poland's richest game businessman. CD Projekt execs out of top 10
Poland is home to some of the world’s most recognized game developers and publishers. So what is the net worth of Techland, CD Projekt, and Playway executives?
Dying Light 2
On February 23, Forbes Poland published its annual list of the country’s 100 richest people. The original article is under a paywall, but several local outlets shared key takeaways from it.
Michał Sołowow, who controls dozens of companies across different industries, once again topped the list with an estimated net worth of PLN 26.8 billion ($5.7 billion). According to Wirtualne Media, he is followed by Dino Polska founder Tomasz Biernacki ($4.4 billion), and Polpharma chair Jerzy Starak ($3.4 billion).
The only games industry-related name in the top 10 is Paweł Marchewka, who is ranked 5th. His estimated assets are valued at PLN 8.34 billion ($1.87 billion), doubling year-over-year.
Who is Paweł Marchewka?
- In 1991, Marchewka founded Techland, which originally focused on localizing video games into Polish and distributing them in the local market.
- Two years later, the company started developing its own software. The list of its early titles includes the real-time strategy Exterminacja (1999) and shooter/flight sim Crime Cities (2000).
- Techland also created Chrome Engine, which was used in games like Chrome, Call of Juarez, Dead Island, and Dying Light. However, Dying Light 2 Stay Human was built with the new version of the company’s proprietary technology called C-Engine.
- Forbes first named Marchewka a billionaire in 2016. Under his leadership, Techland has become not only one of the biggest IT companies in Poland, but also one of the most recognized game developers globally.
- Marchewka is still a gamer himself, citing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Counter Strike, and Red Dead Redemption 2 as some of his favorite titles.
The increase in Marchewka’s net worth is likely due to the success of Dying Light 2, which surpassed 5 million units sold globally in its first month. Last year, Techland also paid him PLN 312 million ($69.8 million) as an advance on dividends.
Unlike Marchewka, CD Projekt co-founders — Marcin Iwiński and Michał Kiciński — lost some of their assets, so none of them made it to the top 10 this year. Forbes now estimates their net worth at PLN 1.66 billion ($370 million) and PLN 1.42 billion ($320 million), respectively.
Krzysztof Kostowski, CEO of another major Polish game publisher Playway, is estimated to have a net worth of PLN 1.1 billion ($250 million).
