CD Projekt RED has confirmed that over 400 people are currently working on their upcoming game, Cyberpunk 2077. The sheer amount of staff that CD Projekt RED has working on Cyberpunk 2077 shows how much of an undertaking this game must be. The development team for The Witcher 3, a game which was grand in scale and detail, only comprised of 250 people. To need over 100 more staff than a game like The Witcher 3 is pretty astounding.
The news was revealed by Karolina Gnaś from the studio’s investor relations department, while discussing the departure of CD Projekt RED’s creative director, Sebastian Stępie. It is also interesting to note that just last year the CEO of CD Projekt RED, Adam Kicinski, stated “nearly 350 developers” were working on it. It is unclear if the developer saw fit to acquire another 50 or so staff to be able to fill the massive demands of Cyberpunk 2077, or if the discrepancy in numbers is an error.
The size of the team shouldn’t necessarily provide hope to any impatient fans of the studio, however. CD Projekt RED has frequently reiterated that the game will be out “when it’s ready.” The departure of Sebastian Stępie can’t have helped matters either. In Stępie, the studio lost a developer who has been with them for over 13 years and has worked on all of their biggest titles.
From combat and driving to character dialogue and player augmentation, the sizeable team seems to have an appropriately large task on their hands. The Witcher series has taught us that CD Projekt RED doesn’t do games by halves either, so the work that will need to go into applying their signature detail to each of these mechanics will be no mean feat. On top of the scope of the single-player game itself, there have been rumors about a multiplayer aspect, as well as a Nintendo Switch version. Both of these would add significant challenge to what is already a mammoth task.
As of now, it is unclear when Cyberpunk 2077 will be released, and speculation remains rife about the eventual launch date.
[H/T NeoGAF]
