Actually, the development of the action role-playing game Cyberpunk 2077 was supposed to proceed without the dreaded crunch time. However, the developers now have to work overtime anyway.
Update, September 30, 6:00 PM: Studio head Adam Badowski has since made additional comments on the topic. He explained via Twitter:
These last 6 weeks are our final sprint for a project that we have all spent a significant part of our lives on. Something that is very dear to us. The majority of the team understands this pressure, especially given the fact that we have just sent the game into certification, and each day brings us visibly closer to the delivery of a game we want to be proud of.
This is one of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make, but everyone will be well compensated for every additional hour they have invested. And as in recent years, in 2020, 10% of the annual profits generated by our company will be shared directly among the team.
Adam Badowski via Twitter
We have addressed the ensuing controversial debate about overtime at CD Projekt Red in a separate article.
What has been announced? According to gaming journalist Jason Schreier, an employee from CD Projekt Red contacted him and forwarded an email from management. It states that a so-called crunch time is now indeed required. That is, overtime that the team has to put in until the release of Cyberpunk 2077.
In detail, this means that the developers now have to work a 6-day week. The extra work will be compensated. However, an employee from CD Projekt Red also explained that the team has been operating in a kind of crunch mode for about a year, working through nights and weekends.
Without crunch, it doesn’t work
How does CD Projekt Red justify this? In the email from studio head Adam Badowski, it states that there are currently no other options available.
I take full responsibility for the backlash against this decision. I know this contradicts what we said about crunch. It also directly contradicts what I began to believe personally some time ago – that crunch should never be the answer. But we have no other options left to deal with the situation.
Adam Badowski, CD Projekt Red
What did the studio say before about crunch? Jason Schreier published an article in May 2019 on Kotaku in which Marcin Iwiński, CEO of CD Projekt Red, promised a new crunch policy. Crunch was no longer to be mandatory for developers. Even if a manager asked an employee if they could work longer, they did not have to do so.
Last summer, Jason Schreier also conducted an interview for Kotaku with Marcin Iwiński. During the conversation, he confirmed once again that while overtime could not be ruled out, no one is obligated to work longer.
Why has this changed now? The fact that an email was sent to the team requiring overtime shows that it apparently cannot be avoided.
CD Projekt Red has already stated that the release date for Cyberpunk 2077 will not be postponed again. On November 19, it will finally arrive, then the action role-playing game will be on store shelves.
According to Adam Badowski’s email, there apparently is no other way to cope with the situation. This likely means that the release date can only be met if overtime is made now.
Some are calling for the release of Cyberpunk 2077 to be postponed again
What are the reactions to this email? There are already voices on reddit demanding another postponement of the action RPG. However, there are also counterarguments. According to these, it would only mean that the crunch phase could last even longer.
Additionally, a further delay could potentially bring additional problems. For example, contractual penalties, as retailers have already reserved spaces for Cyberpunk 2077 on their shelves. Shareholders are sure to have a word in a further delay as well.
Is crunch obligatory? In the past, there have been recurring reports of intense crunch periods, for example, during the development of The Witcher 3, The Last of Us Part 2, or Red Dead Redemption 2. The studios have faced criticism for this.
Our colleagues from GameStar have written an interesting Plus article about the working conditions in the German gaming industry that you can read: How does “Crunch” work in German? The working conditions in the gaming industry.
To get a game finished by the targeted release date, developers apparently often have to work a lot of overtime. This comes at the expense of family as well as physical and mental health.
As CD Projekt Red showed by instructing that crunch should not be enforced in the future, but now does so, it shows that the industry is still stuck in this pattern. Apparently, there are still no well-functioning alternative methods.
Recently, CD Projekt Red expressed frustration over the media after the topic of microtransactions in Cyberpunk 2077 was misunderstood.
