‘Cyberpunk 2077’ publisher orders six-day weeks ahead of game debut

Iwinski last year told Kotaku that the company would be avoiding mandatory crunch, but an account from a CD Projekt Red employee recently as well as an email to staff earlier this week indicate that the company hasn’t lived up to its word. — CD Projekt Red

Polish video game developer CD Projekt Red told employees on Sept 28 that six-day work weeks will be mandatory leading up to the November release of the highly anticipated Cyberpunk 2077, reneging on an earlier promise to not force overtime on the project.

Red, a subsidiary of Poland’s biggest gaming company CD Projekt SA, has been criticised previously for engaging in “crunch”, an industry term for excessive overtime in game development. The practice often lasts for weeks and can stretch out for months or even years. CD Projekt Red co-chief executive officer Marcin Iwinski last year told gaming website Kotaku that the company would be avoiding mandatory crunch and was “committed” to allowing employees to work without overtime.