Witcher 4 Game Director Promises No Crunch

A new title in CD Projekt Red’s massively successful Witcher series was announced this week, with the untitled game currently in development and switching to a new engine. In response to a tweet referring to mandatory crunch practices on both Cyberpunk 2077 and Witcher 3, the new game’s director has said things will be different this time.

In a tweet, CD Projekt Red developer Jason Slama announced that he will be working on the next Witcher game in the role of game director. After contributing to both Witcher 3 and the studio’s standalone Gwent title as a programmer, Slama has served as the game director on Gwent since late 2018, and will now be taking on that role for the studio’s next big AAA game.

With Slama’s tweet–and likely the early announcement of the new game–mostly serving as a recruitment tool, the developer later responded to a tweet that brought up the studio’s poor track record with crunch in the past. Slama responded “never on my watch,” promising better conditions for those hired to work on the new title.

It’s unsurprising that CD Projekt Red may be seeking to mend a reputation damaged by reports of mandatory crunch on Cyberpunk 2077, especially after the company initially promised it wouldn’t require its employees to crunch on the expansive open-world title.

Since the reports of crunch on Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red has put some work into changing its workplace culture, with a 2021 strategy update saying that the studio was “working hard to minimize stress, prevent burnout, and give our employees everything all they need to focus on the work with a fully positive mindset.”