CD Projekt Red CEO Adam Kiciński has some lofty ambitions for 2022. Following the Cyberpunk 2077 PR nightmare and the ongoing bug fixes, the studio isn’t planning on grinding to a halt–rather, it’s on track to start simultaneous development of two big-budget triple-A titles. In May 2021, a financial report from the studio hinted at its involvement in future projects, and in a new interview with ISBtech, Kiciński revealed how such huge plans are being made possible.
“The simultaneous implementation of two AAA projects is our strategic goal for this year. An element that is to significantly support this process is a more efficient way to control the progress of a given product development thanks to working in the agile methodology. In addition, we intend to hire new, talented people to support our development teams,” he said. CD Projekt Red has been shaking things up in the past year, hiring tons of new developers and acquiring Digital Scapes in Vancouver last summer. The company has also been soliciting more employee feedback in the year of trouble following the botched launch of Cyberpunk 2077.
“We are trying to ensure that the team leaders in our group have more autonomy in making decisions and initiatives,” Kiciński said. “Of course, we constantly observe industry trends and events so as not to ‘fall out of circulation.’ Cyberpunk taught us a lot. It was an impulse and motivation for changes [that] will make us perform better in the future.”
Although it’s not clear what these huge projects entail, Kiciński mentioned the Cyberpunk universe fondly in the interview, highlighting the 5,000 people it took to bring Night City to life. One of these titles may take place in the same world.
The current-gen upgrade for Cyberpunk 2077 is expected in the first quarter of 2022, while The Witcher 3 will be coming in the second quarter of the year. The Witcher 3‘s upgraded version is being developed externally by Sabre Interactive. Despite the many bugs and issues with Cyberpunk, it still managed to become the most-played Steam game of 2021.