CD Projekt scraps plans to tie Cyberpunk 2077 bonus scheme to review scores

CD Projekt bosses have informed staff they will receive their bonuses regardless of the reception of Cyberpunk 2077.

As revealed by Bloomberg, CD Projekt execs have seemingly assumed full responsibility for the buggy launch and told staff that a bonus system tied to the game's ratings was "simply not fair under the circumstances" as the studio had "underestimated the lengths and complexity involved to make this a reality".

Originally, bonuses had been structured around a system tied to the game's critical performance, and were on top of the company's profit-sharing scheme.

“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 and creative director Adam Badowski reportedly told staff via email. 

“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.”

The news comes just hours after we discovered that pre-order sales alone turned a profit for Cyberpunk 2077, and digital sales for Cyberpunk 2077 have already exceeded both the cost of development and marketing, just a day after launch.

As Jordan explained at the time, CD Projekt Red released its 65/2020 financial report yesterday, which confirmed that on its launch day, it had already generated more money for CD Projekt than it took to develop and market the game across the whole of its lengthy development cycle. 

While reviews are generally favourable, there's been a lot of talk about the number of bugs plaguing Cyberpunk 2077's launch. Consequently, CD Projekt Red has just released a ton of bug fixes as detailed in the latest Cyberpunk 2077 patch notes.

If you're about to check out Night City for the first time, or just want to make the most of your time there, don't miss our essential Cyberpunk 2077 tips.