The unacceptable release of Cyberpunk 2077 had a serious impact on the developers' reputation, developing a significant loss for them.
A CD Projekt Red developer has revealed that the team's morale has suffered a "significant blow" following the unofficial release of sci-fi RPG Cyberpunk 2077
Speaking with esports company Inven Global at the Inven Game Conference, Colin Walder, who currently works at CD Projekt Red as the Engineering Manager of Management and Audio, spoke about the difficult period he had experienced at the studio.
“It was indeed a challenge,” Walder began. “The morale took a significant hit, that’s obvious. The crucial thing was to acknowledge what had happened. We had to admit that the outcome was not what we had expected and that we were determined to change things. But when we say something, it has to be followed by action. Actions speak louder than words.”
The release of Cyberpunk 2077 in 2020 created a backlash due to the serious issues it presented. The issues also affected the TRG review at the time, where it was noted that there was a significant amount of bugs that needed fixing.
See also: Cyberpunk 2077 update 2.0 looks like a different game
Fortunately for Walder and his colleagues, Cyberpunk 2077 is returning to its glory days in 2023. The free update to the revamped 2.0 codebase has been enthusiastically received by fans and critics alike, while the Phantom Liberty offers additional content for those willing to pay for it. Still, the Polish team has come a long and challenging way.
Walder addresses the problem of “crisis” where employees are forced to work excessive hours, following unreasonably tight schedules.
“For example, when a deadline is approaching, instead of getting desperate, we could say, ‘Let’s adjust the schedule accordingly’ or ‘Let’s approach this differently.’ When this behavior becomes a habit – when the team sees a real effort to avoid crisis – then trust and morale start to be restored.”
Walder also emphasized that CD Projekt Red was inspired by the failure of Cyberpunk 2077 to take a different approach to Polaris, the studio’s upcoming Witcher project. We’ve already been running demos and conducting internal reviews on the console since the beginning, he noted. This is a move we only made later in Cyberpunk development .
As it stands, Cyberpunk 2077 stands out as one of the best RPGs and story-driven games out there, but those looking for alternatives can check out our guide to the best single- player.
Source: techradar.com
