Plus some notes on CDPR’s crunch culture
The rise and fall (then rise again) of Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most infamous stories of this gaming generation. True, that developer CD Projekt Red has been pushing out updates to patch some of the major mistakes, but the memory of that December 2020 release is still raw for many.
Thankfully, the game is in a much better state these days, but the studio’s own VP of PR and Communication, MichaÅ‚ Platkow-Gilewski, has said that the initial launch was “way better” than the reception. That’s according to a recent interview with Gamesindustry.biz.
“I actually believe Cyberpunk on launch was way better than it was received, and even the first reviews were positive,” Platkow-Gilewski said. “Then it became a cool thing not to like it. We went from hero to zero really fast. That was the tough moment. We didn’t know what was happening. We knew that the game is great, yes we can improve it, yes we need to take time to do it, and we need to rebuild some stuff.”
In short: Platkow-Gilewski seemed pretty upbeat about the team’s massive RPG, even if the general response two and a half years ago tells a different story. The team’s response, as he tells it to GI.biz, was to roll up sleeves and get to fixing the game.
Work-life balance
On top of that, it seems as though CD Projekt Red’s crunch culture is being dialed back somewhat. Reports of crunch at the Cyberpunk developer circled the studio following 2077‘s launch. However, in the interview, Platkow-Gilewski says that CDPR is trying for a more balanced approach. He says there’s now a team “dedicated to improving” work-life balance.
“We are improving, rebuilding, reshaping the studio on so many levels that it’s hard to say precisely what’s happening,” Platkow-Gilewski explains. “But work-life balance, how we work together, how we empower even smaller teams, what are the pipelines, how we speak with management, all that… it’s constantly changing.”
Hopefully, this bodes well for the many projects CDPR has in the pipeline, which includes a new Witcher saga and a Cyberpunk sequel. Even sooner, Cyberpunk 2077 will get its first and only expansion Phantom Liberty, which seems like it could be a big turning point for the state of Cyberpunk. The expansion arrives on September 26, 2023.
