The release of Cyberpunk 2077 in 2020 was tumultuous to say the least, significantly impacting the morale of the CD Projekt Red studio. What can we learn?
Cyberpunk 2077, after its tumultuous launch in 2020, did not spare the morale of the development studio CD Projekt Red. The wait built for years has resulted in disappointment for many, despite an impressive achievement on PC.
A hard blow for the Cyberpunk 2077 teams
So, shortly after the release of the anticipated Cyberpunk 2077 in 2020, the team’s morale suffered a “significant drop”. Colin Walder, technical director at CD Projekt Red with over 15 years of experience in video games, confirmed this. Having worked on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt as well as Rockstar hits such as Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto 5, Walder is no stranger to the pressure of the industry. It is the least we can say. Yet during the Inven Game conference, he shared thoughts on the Cyberpunk 2077 adventure, saying:
We need to make sure we master certain aspects from the start. Take the example of consoles: they must be operational from the start. For our next title, Polaris (part of a new trilogy in CDPR’s Witcher series), our internal demos and reviews are already running on console from the first stages.
Walder admits that this approach was adopted late in the development of Cyberpunk. He also spoke about his team’s morale following the RPG’s release, noting a “significant drop” post-launch. An understandable reaction, given the stakes and the budget invested in this RPG.
Faced with the challenges of maintaining morale after the launch, especially after the pitfalls encountered, it was crucial to accept and understand what had happened. We had to recognize that the final result did not live up to our expectations, but that we were determined to rectify the situation.
Action reaction
To correct all this, a substantial series of updates has been deployed to improve the gaming experience. And let’s not forget patch 2.0, launched just before Phantom Liberty. Moreover, Walder insists that the team must concretely demonstrate its commitment to these improvements, emphasizing that actions speak louder than words. He also talks about the practice of crunch, which he was able to experiment with (we suspect) during his time at Rockstar for RDR2:
For example, faced with an approaching deadline, rather than opting for crunch, we could decide to adjust our deadlines or rethink our approach. When such attitudes become the norm, and the team sees a sustained effort to escape the crunch, that’s when trust and morale are built.