Developing AAA games is a labor-intensive process that can cost millions of dollars and take years of work before a game goes gold and is released.CD Projekt Red, the developer behind bothThe WitcherandCyberpunk 2077, is now looking to streamline the development process and begin developing its two big franchises simultaneously.
CD Projekt Red’sThe Witcherseries, based on novels of the same name, is one of video game’s most beloved franchises, and the latest entry,The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt,was a critical and commercial success. The developer’s newest game,Cyberpunk 2077,has had a much more mixed reception due to its massive amount glitches and technical issues. Now, CD Projekt revealed its new approach to game development in a strategy update video to avoid situations likeCyberpunk 2077and prepare for future projects in development.
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In the video, the leadership team at CD Projekt Red announced that as part of the “RED 2.0 Transformation Plan,” development onCyberpunkandThe Witcherwould run parallel, with members of the development team working across both projects. The leadership team also mentions that the changes will improve their content quality and further develop a sustainable work environment. The video itself is more for investors than fans and is primarily concerned with boosting confidence in the company’s direction after a tough year andthe departure of senior members of the development team.
The next game inThe Witcherfranchises is probably years away, so it makes sense that the developers implement these changes now. In the strategy update, the leadership team talks about centralizing the RED engine so two teams can work on both their flagship series at the same time. The teams can continue to supportCyberpunk 2077while using what they learn to improveThe Witcherseries' development. Head of productions and CTO, Paweł Zawodny, believes that if the company achieves its goal with the “RED 2.0 Transformation Plan,” then Parallel AAA development will begin in 2022.
The plan mentioned in the update seems to address many criticisms about CD Projekt Red’s development process, even those outside of its games. The company came under fire last year as it backtracked on its statement that no one would have to crunch on theCyberpunk 2077’sdevelopment, asmultiple sources confirmed that the development team had indeed crunchedahead of the game’s release. The video mentions that one of the “RED 2.0 Transformation Plan” goals is improving the work environment, but whether that will end crunch all together seems unlikely.
The backlash to theCyberpunk 2077broke a lot of consumer goodwill that CD Projekt Red had with its fans and possibly evenaffected the company’s relationship with Sonyas it removed the game from the PlayStation Store. Whether this new approach will prove effective in preventing another release likeCyberpunk 2077,only time will tell, but the “RED 2.0 Transformation Plan” could be a good first step.
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