Cyberpunk 2077 has had quite the week. With so much hype leading up to the launch of CD Projekt Red's next epic RPG, the issues with Cyberpunk 2077 have been very much on the forefront of video games. For some players, the game does not run as advertised, has frame rate issues, crashes, is very buggy, and does not look graphically like what many were anticipating. CD Projekt Red executives have taken responsibility for the hiccups in the game's launch, and it is shifting its performance bonus structure in favor of employees because of it.
Video game insider Jason Schreier is reporting that the performance bonuses for Cyberpunk 2077 are no longer tied to review scores. This is a decision made by the higher-ups of CD Projekt Red.
Although Cyberpunk 2077 has reviewed well so far, it hasn't matched the meteoric levels that many anticipated, including CD Projekt Red itself. The developer believed that the game would be a 90+ overall on Metacritic and receive universal acclaim, and thus bonuses were tied to the game reaching those levels. Currently, the game is right at that 90 mark, but Cyberpunk 2077 has been riddled with issues.
In an email from studio head Adam Badowski to the employees of CD Projekt Red, he and the board took responsibility for the messy launch of Cyberpunk 2077, especially on the PS4 and Xbox One. Badowski claims that the team underestimated the complexity of the game's issues, and the lengths needed to fix them. Therefore, the executives want to make it clear that the team behind Cyberpunk 2077 did everything in their power to create an amazing game, any shortcomings are the fault of the executives and their deadlines.
We underestimated the lengths and complexity involved to make this a reality, and still you did everything you could to deliver an ambitious, special game.
While the decision to take responsibility for the game's issues and to give bonuses regardless of Metacritic scores should be praised by the executives, it should not overshadow the massive reported crunch problems at CD Projekt Red. According to Schreier, CD Projekt Red gives out bonus tokens to those who outperform their peers by working longer and harder, directly encouraging "crunch."
As CD Projekt Red reassures console players that Cyberpunk 2077's problems will be resolved, it is fair to wonder if the team will be put into overdrive again to fix the issues. The outcry of fans might make the executives of CD Projekt Red think they need Cyberpunk 2077 to be fixed immediately, which is could be a shame, considering the developers should be taking this time to relax and rejoice in a game that they've been working on for years; a game that turned a profit on the first day of sales.
Hopefully, the developer also takes this time to reanalyze its approach in game development. More time developing a game (and less time in crunch) does not only mean that it will be a stronger product in the end, it also creates a happier and healthier workforce.
Cyberpunk 2077 releases December 10 for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions arriving in 2021.