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CD Projekt Red Issues Statement Regarding Company Morale
CD Projekt Red, the developer behind the Witcher series and the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077, posted a response today regarding allegations of a poor work environment.
The note comes from studio head Adam Badowski and co-founder Marcin Iwinski. In it, the joint statement reads, "If you’re following news related to CD PROJEKT RED, you might have recently stumbled upon information regarding morale here at the studio. We’d normally avoid commenting on company reviews on spaces like Glassdoor, but this time around – especially in light of the fact that we haven’t communicated anything about Cyberpunk 2077 for a long time and saw some gamers getting worried about the project – we’d like to elaborate on a few things."
The note is in response to former CD Projekt Red employees posting negative reviews about the company on job review sites, like Glassdoor.com, citing a poor management, excessive work hours, and other issues.
— CD PROJEKT RED (@CDPROJEKTRED) October 16, 2017
In the statement, Badowski and Iwinski explain how the studio has rapidly grown since the release of Witcher 3 and they understand that employees will leave and they wish them the best. Badowski and Iwinski also explain that the studio attempts to reinvent the wheel for every new release, and this is a style of development that does not mesh with everyone. "We believe reinventing the wheel every friggan’ time is what makes a better game. It’s what creates innovation and makes it possible for us to say we’ve worked really hard on something, and we think it’s worth your hard-earned cash. If you make games with a ‘close enough is good enough’ attitude, you end up in a comfort zone. And you know where the magic happens."
Badowski and Iwinski end the statement assuring that Cyberpunk 2077 is on track.
[Source: @CDPROJEKTRED]
Our Take
This statement, ultimately, doesn't really address the allegations, so much as it shares Badowski and Iwinski admittedly difficult approach to making video games. That being said, I appreciate the CD Projekt Red offered at least something and isn't just flat out ignoring the negative statements being shared about the company. Hopefully conditions, if they are in fact rough, get better thanks to the statements from former employees.
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