Gaming

CD Projekt moves to parallel development following Cyberpunk 2077 launch



Following the troubled launch of Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt is changing its approach to development.

The company has announced ‘RED 2.0,’  an initiative in which it will work on multiple AAA games and expansion in parallel.

“We want to be sure that we can work with two global brands at the same time while ensuring top quality of our products,” said Paweł Zawodny, CTO and Head of Production at CD Projekt Red. “We emphasize technological advancements and we want to set up versatile teams which combine various specializations and competences. These teams will be further assisted by a cross-projects group of experts, who – owing to their expertise – can contribute to key aspects of development. All these changes aim to enable us to work on multiple AAA games and expansions in parallel, starting in 2022.”

Additionally, CD Projekt has also changed when it announces its projects. Future marketing campaigns will be much shorter, and promotional content will be released much closer to the game’s release.

Crucially, CD Projekt noted that it will demonstrate future games’ performance on all supported platforms. This is likely a reaction to Cyberpunk 2077’s performance on last-gen hardware. While the game had issues on PC and next gen too, things were decidedly worse on Playstation 4 and Xbox One. So much so that the company offered refunds on the game, a move that prompted Sony to remove the game from the Playstation Store.

Handling simultaneous AAA projects requires a large team, of course, and the company is “ramping up” its recruitment.

“We intend to continue growing organically, while locking in partnerships with proven external partners. We also intend to more actively pursue M&A opportunities, which will help the studio expand – particularly with regard to its technical capabilities,” said Piotr Nielubowicz, CFO and Board Member of CD Projekt.

As part of this new strategy, CD Projekt has announced that it has acquired the Vancouver-based Digital Scapes, a development studio that it has been collaborating with since 2018.

The company is also “redoubling its efforts to secure a sustainable and caring work environment,” following reports of crunch during the development of Cyberpunk 2077.

“For years we have been underscoring our belief that our greatest asset is our team. CD Projekt will remain an inclusive and diverse workplace; however, we also want to emphasize the well-being of our employees and provide them with professional and personal development opportunities,” said Adam Badowski, CD Projekt Red Studio Head and Board Member of CD Projekt.



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