Cyberpunk 2077’s senior gameplay designer announced today that he is leaving CD Projekt Red. Andrzej Zawadzki joined the gaming studio eight years ago and worked on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt as a QA tester before he was promoted to lead Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay unit.
The announcement arrives after a tumultuous year for CD Projekt Red. The company faced multiple death threats after delaying Cyberpunk 2077 multiple times, and when the game did release it was plagued by game-breaking glitches. The game was so buggy that players began to demand refunds, leading Sony to pull the title from the PlayStation store, where it still has yet to return. CD Projekt Red vowed to fix Cyberpunk 2077’s issues with a series of patches, but the updates were delayed after a cyberattack crippled the studio.
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Zawadzki announced his departure on Twitter, saying that his journey with CD Projekt Red was an “honor and a pleasure.” He joined CD Projekt Red as a QA tester eight years ago and worked on the Witcher 3 and its DLC. In 2016, he began working on Cyberpunk 2077 as a junior gameplay designer and later became the game’s senior gameplay designer in March 2020, just a month ahead of the game’s initial release. Zawadzki did not give a reason for his departure or what he plans on doing in the future.
Zawadzki was one most vocal CD Projekt Red employees to speak out when the company received death threats after delaying Cyberpunk 2077 for third time. He told his followers on Twitter that the threats were “absolutely unacceptable and just wrong” and that game developers are “people just like you.” Zawadzki has been relatively quite on social media since January, though he voiced support for Anthem’s Bioware team after it was announced that Anthem Next was canceled.
It is unclear will take Zawadzki’s former role as Cyberpunk 2077’s lead gameplay designer. CD Projekt Red still has plans for Cyberpunk 2077, as it intends to improve the game through patches, release upgraded versions for the PS5 and Xbox Series X, and release free and paid DLC. Cyberpunk 2077's patch 1.2 is supposed to arrive soon, though CD Projekt Red has not announced an official release date. The update is aimed at changing police response time, as well as improved dodging and driving mechanics.
Many fans hope to see a “rebooted” version of Cyberpunk 2077 with improved mechanics, similar to Bioware’s canceled Anthem Next. While CD Projekt Red has already delayed its planned patches, it is not difficult to imagine that the company can eventually release a version of Cyberpunk 2077 that meets fan expectations.
Cyberpunk 2077 is out now for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Stadia.
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