CD Project RED, the studio behind The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, advertisement changes in the way they will develop their games. In an entry published in his web, the company revealed that it will adjust the production processes of its franchises starting in 2022.
The announcement arrives in a critical moment for the company polish. After the disastrous launch of Cyberpunk 2077 the practices of the study came to light. In addition to the strenuous hours of work and little attention to the versions of PS4 and Xbox One, the study ignored warnings from his employees.
Among the announced adjustments, CD Projekt RED modernize the areas of technology, production and dissemination of content. Regarding the former, the REDengine game engine will be improved and centralized. The developers will be reorganized as a set of interdisciplinary agile teams with a more proactive approach.
The studio will develop games based on ‘The Witcher’ and ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ at the same time
The company will seek work with two global brands at the same time — The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 – without sacrificing quality. “We want to configure versatile teams that combine various specializations and competencies. These teams will be further assisted by a group of experts who can contribute to key aspects of the development, ”said Paweł Zawodny, CTO of CD Projekt RED.
Until now the company had worked on developing one game at a time. Although the pre-production of Cyberpunk 2077 started when the studio was working on the expansions of The Witcher 3, the strategy from 2022 will be to produce games in parallel.
An important detail is that CD Projekt stated that they will not only focus on single player RPGs. Michał Nowakowski, director of development, said they want to expand the reach of The Witcher and Cyberpunk to new types of content.
‘The Witcher 4’ could include multiplayer
Both intellectual properties could explore spin-offs or adaptations in another format. The company is no stranger to this and proof of this is GWENT and Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales, games based on The Witcher 3.
Perhaps the most striking thing about this is that CD Projekt will explore the multiplayer component in their next games. As part of the new strategy, the company will seek to “enrich the studio’s products with online features.” The studio will develop technologies that can be rolled out gradually in its next releases. It will also boost GOG Galaxy, its platform with which it competes with Steam and the Epic Games Store.
Although CD Projekt develops community solutions, the focus of all its games has always been on single player. It is possible that in the future the company will gradually transform into that kind of studies that seek to monetize with games based on micropayments.
CD Projekt’s biggest challenge is not on a technical level
Along with the strategy, CD Projekt confirmed the acquisition of a studio in Vancouvery implemented staff growth plans. While this will ensure that two large-caliber projects can be developed at the same time, the main problem of the study is in the management.
The debacle of Cyberpunk 2077 stated that CD Projekt is far from being the best place to work and that its leaders carry out the same practices as other companies such as Activision or EA.
When reviewing the Glassdoor reviews we can see that a constant is poor communication with project leaders and Low salaries. Added to this, the high dome of the studio sells ambitious projects to its shareholders without ensuring that they are viable.
The new strategy is a kind of redemption, especially if we consider that CD Projekt faces two lawsuits for the failure of Cyberpunk 2077. The plan will take effect from 2022 and it will take several years to see the fruits of this initiative. Perhaps the same time it takes for the study to regain consumer confidence.
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