Cyberpunk 2077 developers will now receive bonuses regardless of how they are rated

CD Projekt executives indicated that they take responsibility for this Cyberpunk 2077The flaws in an email sent to employees today Bloomberg Reports.

“We underestimated the length and complexity it would take to make this a reality, and yet you did everything to deliver an ambitious, special game,” said CD Projekt Red Studios director and game director Adam Badowski to have.

Cyberpunk 2077 The developers were expecting to receive bonuses for their work on the game, based on how it performed on the rating aggregator Metacritic – a terrible practice in the video game industry – with an average score of 90+ that triggers bonus payouts. The game currently sits exactly at 90, but that number doesn’t take that into account noticeably inferior Versions on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One that reviewers were unable to play prior to release.

BloombergThe coverage also provides a glimpse into the bizarre bonus structure of CD Projekt Red’s leadership. Developers believed to have done a good job were given tokens with the studio’s red bird logo to redeem for post-launch bonuses Cyberpunk 2077 received critical recognition. It is these bonuses that the company now says will be paid out regardless of the average score, in addition to the profit-sharing payouts that employees are already enjoying.

The report finds concerns within CD Projekt Red’s ranks that These bonuses caused the developers to work long hours overnight and on weekends to compete with colleagues in the pursuit of the red bird tags. Bloomberg reported in September that despite public promises to the contrary Cyberpunk 2077 Developers were asked to work six day working weeks until the game is released on December 10th.

“I take it upon myself to get the full backlash for the decision,” Badowski wrote to employees in an email from the time. “I know this is in direct contradiction to what we said about the crisis. It’s also in direct contrast to what I personally believed some time ago – this crisis should never be the answer. However, we have expanded all other ways to navigate the situation. “

While I think it’s nice that Cyberpunk 2077 Development bonuses do not depend on the critical reception. The patronizing method with which these rewards are distributed is a symbol of what we have learned about the toxic work culture promoted by the leadership of CD Projekt.