CD Projekt is in a weird spot. The Polish gaming giant enjoyed a DLC launch that practically madeCyberpunk 2077a new game,while increasing player satisfaction along with other recent wins.
At the same time, content creators like Endymion have attempted to convince the industry that the company is having a horrible time as the gaming industry fights to maintain stability. Does this seem strange to you? If so, you may have a friend in CDPR’s joint CEO Michał Nowakowski."
Nowakowski was compelled to reply to a post by YouTuber Endymion, one of many who has engaged in “anti-woke” or “anti-DEI” conspiracies that blame diversity for most problems surrounding modern game releases.
Anti-Woke 2077
Endymion writes that"places likeCD PROJEKT RED[…] are in dire trouble", and company policies that encourage equality and diversity are at the center of this.
The company’s joint CEO addressed some of the claims made in the Endymion video, butthe overall message is clear: no, CDPR is not in dire trouble.
Cyberpunk 2077 Developer ‘CD Projekt Red’ Could Be Bringing New Games To Nintendo Consoles
The Witcher 4 on the Nintendo Switch 2, anyone?
The first item on the list of rebuttals is the claim that the company is bleeding talent over diversity policies. According to Nowakowski, CDPR currently has"the lowest rotation of people in recent years."
CDPR did experience an exodus of talent in the recent past, but most sources agree thatthis was due to the extreme crunch conditionsthe studio worked under aroundtheCyberpunk 2077releaseperiod (a problem CDPR appears to have addressed followingwidespread industry criticism).
Endymion alleged thatCDPR was engaging in “diversity hires,“a term typically used to discredit talent from minorities by saying they are only present to meet a quota.
“We hire based on merit and talent alone,“said Nowakowski in a social media post, “just as we make games driven by artistic vision alone.”
In a confusing turn of events,Nowakowski also had to debunk conspiracies over the choice to develop games in the Unreal 5 Engineinstead of in-house solutions, a path that has become an industry standard as of late.
Why did we choose UE? Because it enables us to work on our games more efficiently and we remain cutting-edge tech-wise.
-Michał Nowakowski, CD Projekt joint CEO
The Polish boss reminded the YouTuber thatThe Witcher 3director had indeed left the company, butthis had happened over two years ago, on circumstances unrelated to diversity policies.
Phantom Enemy
Attacks on gaming studios over “woke” or “DEI” have intensifiedrecently. Earlier this week, the newly-released Silent Hill 2 remake had to fight Wikipedia vandals who attacked the game for similarly vague reasons.
Silent Hill 2 Remake Wiki Page Locked After Review Fight
Disgruntled gamers performed an organized guerrilla attack on the page against exhausted Wiki editors.
Divisive discourse is prevalent in modern politics, butit makes for exhausting situationswhen it crosses over into entertainment.
Many other game developers before Nowakowski have spoken aboutfrustrations defending their games from conspiracists.
While the online fights go on, the gaming industry continues to generate more and moremoney from sales,surpassing movies, television, and music combined. So much for dire trouble.
New Cyberpunk 2077 Board Game Crowdfunding Surpasses $1 Million Dollars
CD Projekt Red has finally announced Cyberpunk 2077 - The Board Game, along with a crowdfunding campaign.
