Cyberpunk 2077 developers have unionized in part in response to unexplained layoffs

Earlier this month, CD Projekt Red employees announced that they had formed a union, and now more details have emerged about their motivations for doing so.

As detailed in a new report from IGN, employees of the publisher of the Witcher series and Cyberpunk 2077 have suggested that both the lack of knowledge about which of their colleagues would be fired and the fact that they were unaware of the reasons for the Layoffs of certain people were informed factors in their company’s decision to unionize. Earlier this year, CDPR conducted three separate rounds of layoffs within a single three-month period.

According to Paweł Myszka, one of the co-founders of the Polish Gamedev Workers Union, the latter was a key driver of the growing support for unionization among the studio’s employees. Under Polish law, trade union representatives can access information about the current personnel structure of companies as well as future plans of these structures.

This could allow union members to avoid being left in the dark when it comes to their own job security and that of their colleagues.

“If you have a person close to you who you have worked with or mentored for a long time, or in such a case where you know their potential and importance to the company and games you run “Tolly Kulczycki, a technical QA analyst currently working on the next game in the Witcher series, told IGN, “and when you see them being fired and not finding answers to the question of why, the cracks start very quickly to become visible.” .”

According to its members, the union, which according to the report has not yet been officially recognized by CD Projekt, although dialogue between the two has already begun, continues to grow in size, with new contracts that would offer developers at Polish studios additional protection than eventual called goal.

In a statement to IGN, CD Projekt said regarding the union that it will “act in accordance with the law and comply with the legal obligations that may arise from this situation.” Also named were RED Team representatives, an elected body tasked with making recommendations to management based on employee feedback.

Additionally, Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty has added some new dialogue to the base game’s main quest, as a little treat for those who complete the expansion first.