Executives at Polish online game writer CD Projekt SA took duty for the buggy launch of the highly-anticipated title Cyberpunk 2077 this week, telling employees on Friday in an e mail obtained by Bloomberg that they are going to obtain their full bonuses regardless of how the sport is reviewed. Previously, CD Projekt builders have been instructed they might obtain further pay primarily based on the sport’s important efficiency.
Cyberpunk 2077, which got here out Thursday, is likely one of the 12 months’s greatest video games and a monumental launch for the Polish writer, which solely makes new titles each few years. The sci-fi role-playing sport offered greater than eight million copies in pre-orders earlier than launch and has been acclaimed for its mechanics and story, however slammed for the variety of glitches and bugs. As of Friday, Cyberpunk 2077 had a 90 out of 100 on the overview aggregation web site Metacritic — a robust rating that has nonetheless disillusioned shareholders. If that rating dips beneath 90, it could not meet the brink that CD Projekt had initially set for bonus payouts.
“We initially had a bonus system that was focused on the game’s ratings and the release date, but after consideration, we believe that measure is simply not fair under the circumstances,” wrote Adam Badowski, studio head and artistic director for Cyberpunk 2077, within the e mail to employees. “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.”
A consultant for CD Projekt didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
The bonus system CD Projekt used for builders engaged on Cyberpunk 2077 was difficult. Every month, group leaders on the firm gave out tokens styled after the studio’s emblem, a pink chook, to members of their group they felt deserved honors, based on three present and former workers. Those tokens would have then been transferred into bonuses if the sport met sure standards, like important acclaim and a well timed launch. Under the brand new system, these payouts will probably be assured although Cyberpunk 2077 was delayed and the overview rating has been blended. This efficiency bonus comes on high of standard annual profit-sharing payouts.
Although the construction will reward some workers financially, there was concern that it pushed them to work longer hours. In September, Bloomberg reported that builders at CD Projekt had been working extreme time beyond regulation, or crunch, on and off since 2018. The firm requested all of its employees to work six-day workweeks within the months main as much as launch. Developers who’re important of the bonus system have mentioned that it implicitly encourages workers to place in nights and weekends to indicate that they are working the toughest.
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