CD Projekt Red Learns From Cyberpunk 2077 Crunch, Aims to Avoid Overwork With New Projects

CD Projekt Red engineering director says Cyberpunk 2077's grueling development taught the studio to avoid crunch.

Crunch didn't save Cyberpunk 2077 from being called "fundamentally broken" for a long time after its buggy launch.

For recent projects like Phantom Liberty expansion and The Witcher 3 follow-up, CDPR adjusts schedules rather than crunching.

Rebuilding trust and morale requires repeatedly avoiding crunch and genuine effort to prevent it.

In response to industry-wide issues like layoffs, CDPR developers created a union to voice concerns about employment conditions.