Cassie Gardner 
Workers at game developer CD Projekt Red have unionized after multiple rounds of layoffs surrounding the launch of the Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty DLC and early development of The Witcher 4.
Over the last three months, approximately 9% of CD Projekt Red’s employees were laid off, totaling roughly 100 people. In the aftermath of these cuts, the Polish Gamedev Workers Union was formed to provide union protections to any Polish game developers who wish to join.
“We believe that the mass layoffs are a danger to the gamedev industry and we believe that unionizing is a way for us to preserve the industry’s potential,” the PGWU said in a statement on its website.
CD Projekt Red began laying off developers in May and continued doing so until late July. The Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty DLC launched on September 26, 2023. CD Projekt Red has a number of games in the works, but none are reportedly set to be released until a much later date. Fans have wondered whether the layoffs indicate a lack of current projects for employees to work on within the company.
Will CD Projekt Red layoffs affect The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2 development?
The unionization of CD Projekt Red’s workers is unlikely to have a strong impact on the development of the future Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2 games.
A Cyberpunk 2077 sequel and a new installment in The Witcher series are both confirmed to be in development by CD Projekt Red. With being early in their development cycle, the new union should not be of any impact to any persons currently working on the future titles. Details regarding the layoffs are scarce but according to reports and statements from the studio, neither of these titles are far enough along in development to be especially impacted.
Even without any upcoming releases, CD Projekt Red does have a number of titles currently being developed. This includes both a new The Witcher trilogy focusing on a new character instead of Geralt of Rivia, as well as another The Witcher spin-off codenamed “Project Sirius.”
A Cyberpunk 2077 sequel is also on the docket for the game developer. This game is likely still years away from release as an executive with the company was asked about the game and waffled on whether it would be a first-person shooter or a third-person title like The Witcher.
Another game codenamed Project Hadar has been discussed as well. The title is being created from scratch by CD Projekt Red in-house as a new IP. It is still in the conceptual phase.
