Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red is once again under scrutiny following a painful report by Bloomberg about bonuses. According to renowned games journalist Jason Schreier, the Polish company awards it’s board with millions of dollars worth of bonuses. Meanwhile, regular staff members allegedly barely get anything.
CD Projekt Red spoils board with bonuses
According to the report, CD Projekt Red allocated almost $30 million for bonuses for the entire staff of over 860 employees. Regular staff allegedly received an average of $34,000 per person as a bonus.
Contrary to that statement, some interviewed staff members claim to have gotten between $5,000 and $20,000. That is the reward for over five years of dedicated development, besides regular wages, of course. Given that the bonuses are based on Cyberpunk 2077’s sales, you’d expect a bit more from one of the most successful games in the history of mankind.
The board, on the other hand, received a total of $28 million in bonuses. Divided by just five people, that is.
Furthermore, CD Projekt Red employees are quoted saying the bonuses they received should have been vastly higher. If Cyberpunk 2077 were to be delayed even more, they could’ve fixed the game. Instead, after the disastrous launch, it turned out that the board had pushed for the launch of a clearly unfinished game, while the developers pleaded for more time.
NEW: following the flop of Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt board members are set to receive huge bonuses ranging from $4 to $6 million. Meanwhile, some employees say they got lower bonuses than expected because the board wouldn’t delay the game: https://t.co/VaPeOqNfSx
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) April 30, 2021
Permanent bump in wages
Schreier did report that “the company did a salary reevaluation and bumped up wages for some of the company’s lowest-paid staff including QA.” So it’s not like CD Projekt Red funneled all the money into the higher-ups.
Whatever the case, this is isn’t the first time CD Projekt Red received criticism for how they treat their employees. Before Cyberpunk 2077’s launch, the usage of crunch was at the center of public debate.
What do you think? Should employees have received more? Let us know in the comments below or join the conversation on Facebook.