CD Projekt Red Admits Crunch Period For The Witcher 3 Was Not ‘Humane’

CD Projekt Red has said it’s working hard to ensure that the staff working hard on Cyberpunk 2077 won’t suffer from the levels of crunch that staff on The Witcher 3 did.

Crunch is becoming a hot topic in the gaming community, as more and more developers and employees in the industry step forward to highlight the pressures of working to such tight timescales.

Credit: CD Projekt Red

Many people in the gaming industry have spoken of devastatingly long work hours, seven-day work weeks, a lack of breaks and holiday time, and overly stressful environments, all put in place to ensure a game meets its developmental targets.

It’s something that studios really want to crack down on, because nobody wants to work in such a place. The likes of Riot Games, NetherRealm Studios, Rockstar Games, and the now-closed Telltale Games have all faced tough allegations from their staff regarding crunch.

Credit: CD Projekt Red

CD Projekt Red has admitted that the crunch period for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was “inhumane,” and something they’re desperately trying to avoid with the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077.

Studio co-founder Marcin Iwiński recently spoke to PCGamer about the dreaded crunch, and the studio’s plans to avoid it this time around.

“We’ve been communicating clearly to people that of course there are certain moments where we need to work harder—like I think the [2018] E3 demo is a pretty good example—but we want to be more humane and treat people with respect,” said Iwiński.

Credit: CD Projekt Red

“If they need to take time off, they can take time off. Nobody will be frowned upon if this will be requested…

Credit: CD Projekt Red

“We’ve created a lot of force functions for us to improve. Making this commitment, I hope it shows that we are treating this matter very seriously.”

I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s happy to wait longer for a game if it means the hardworking employees are being treated fairly!

Featured Image Credit: CD Projekt Red