CDPR Reportedly Rethinks Bonus Criteria for Employees Following Cyberpunk 2077’s Launch Issues

Cyberpunk 2077 has been a major commercial success for CD Projekt RED already, having accrued over 8 million pre-orders and already having sold enough to turn a profit for the company. But the game has had its fair share of issues at launch, especially on consoles, which has led to backlash from the community, and, in turn, tumbling share prices.

Over on Metacritic, the game currently occupies a score of 90- which would be high by any metric for most, but seems to be falling short of the expectations CD Projekt RED had set for the game. It seems, however, that the same has also resulted in the company rethinking its criteria for bonus payouts to employees.

As Bloomberg reports, while previously bonus payouts for CD Projekt RED were dependent on their games receiving certain Metacritic scores and being released in a timely manner, the developer has now changed that structure, with developers now receiving those bonuses regardless of the Metacritic score, and regardless of any delays. This will be on top of regular annual profit-sharing payouts.

“We initially had a bonus system that was focused on the game’s ratings and the release date, but after consideration, we believe that measure is simply not fair under the circumstances,” studio head Adam Badowski wrote in an email written to CDPR staff. “We underestimated the lengths and complexity involved to make this a reality, and still you did everything you could to deliver an ambitious, special game.”

Cyberpunk 2077 is out now on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia. The game will receive dedicated next-gen ports for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S some time in 2021.