Cyberpunk 2077 didn’t have the smoothest launch, and it weighed heavily on the team, says CD Projekt Red’s engineering director Colin Walder. The team took the hit to heart but is committed to turning things around.
Walder spoke at the Inven Global Conference, admitting the team was crushed by the game’s poor start. He stressed that actions would speak louder than words as they set out to fix their acclaimed sci-fi RPG.
The key, he said, was to own up to the mistakes and take concrete steps for improvement.
Learning from Cyberpunk’s Fumble
Walder revealed that the setbacks from Cyberpunk 2077 are shaping their next Witcher project, Polaris. They’re already testing on consoles to avoid past mistakes.
Controversial Crunch Tactics
Walder also touched on the hot-button issue of ‘crunch,’ where devs work long hours to meet deadlines. He believes in showing, not telling, to build trust with his team. Changes in how they approach deadlines are already in effect.
Game’s Redemption Arc
Despite its rocky start, Cyberpunk 2077 has come a long way. Its update 2.0 has attracted a huge player base, and its Phantom Liberty DLC is already a hit. The game has now sold over 25 million copies.
Released on December 20, 2020, Cyberpunk 2077 is available on both new and old-gen platforms.
