The Witcher franchise is moving on to a new series. The iconic RPG franchise has been around a long time, and millions of fans eagerly await the next chapter. That time is finally here, as CD Projekt has kicked off formal full-time development on the next game in the franchise. So far, the studio has picked a new game director in Jason Slama. “I am super thrilled to announce that I have humbly been working to ensure the success of the next big AAA The Witcher game as its Game Director,” he said on Twitter.
Slama said he has “been working to ensure the success of the next big triple-A The Witcher game as its game director,” and noted that CD Projekt is openly recruiting and staffing up to handle the workload. One particular point that was raised by fans in response to the news, is the issue of crunch. Fans pointed out that crunch would likely be a feature in such a huge AAA game. In response, the director said, “never on my watch.”
This is in direct opposition to decisions made by the company in the past. Back in 2019, the Polish company told Kotaku it wouldn’t force employees to work overtime, or undergo any kind of crunch. Most people correctly assumed this was BS, as it was shortly revealed to be just that. Bloomberg obtained an email that indicated the studio was implementing mandatory six-day workweeks in the rush to finally finish Cyberpunk 2077. It’s not surprising that an incredibly delayed and buggy game underwent crunch, and sadly it’s not surprising how much the industry relies on this brutal exploitation.
Following the incredibly buggy and controversial launch of the game, CDPR leadership doubled down, claiming that crunch is ‘not that bad—and never was’. Fans and industry figures alike roasted this idea, pointing to the documented physical and mental toll that crunch inflicts. The idea that being overworked for months on end is not that bad, is just absurd. It’s sad to admit, but the games industry does overly rely on crunch to ship games, especially those in the AAA space.
And really, that reliance on overwork should end. It seems as though some studios are very hesitant to actually make the change. But in the face of strong unionization and representation pushes within the industry, video games might not have a choice. Ether the industry burns out many talented folks making games, or they get dragged into the future. A future where crunch is a thing of the past.
Source: GameDeveloper
