The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red has announced it’ll be laying off 9% of its employees, about 100 people, by the end of Q1 2024. In a statement today, CD Projekt Red CEO Adam Kiciński wrote about how the developer is “overstuffed” with talented employees and unfortunately must let some go.
“We have talented people on board who are finishing their tasks and — based on current and expected project needs — we already know we don’t have other opportunities for them in the next year.” The lay offs will affect a variety of CD Projekt Red teams, including those in publishing, developing, and the back office.
“To meet our own high expectations and ambitions to create the best role-playing games, we not only want to have the best people but also the right teams,” Kiciński wrote. “What we mean by that is having teams that are built around our projects’ needs; teams that are more agile and more effective.”
This is news is both expected and surprising in different ways. CD Projekt Red had already announced layoffs of its Gwent-focused team as well as laying off developers from its The Molasses Flood studio.
However, the company also has a plethora of projects in the works. The Cyberpunk 2077 expansion The Phantom Liberty is the only project with a firm release date as it drops on September 26. After that, the company has five announced games in development: a remake of 2007’s original The Witcher; Project Polaris, the start of a new trilogy in the Witcher universe; Project Sirius, also a game set in the Witcher universe but with multiplayer components; Project Orion, a follow-up to Cyberpunk 2077; and Project Hadar, the company’s first original IP.
This news comes as The Witcher‘s third season comes to a close tomorrow on Netflix, its final with Henry Cavill playing the titular Witcher. Liam Hemsworth will be stepping into the role come season 4.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login