Two major members of CD Project Red have jumped ship and have moved on to a small indie studio, mainly 11 Bit Studios. The news comes as a shock to Witcher fans, who are eagerly anticipating the release of The Witcher 3, the latest and last installment in the popular franchise this summer. The two developers in question are Maciej Szczesnik, ex lead gameplay developer at CD Projekt, and Marek Ziemak, gameplay producer.
Szczesnik has signed on with 11 bit Studios as the new lead designer for an unspecified project, while Ziemak’s position is currently unknown. The two were drawn by the possibility of building a new game from scratch, and mentioned that the small indie studio has creative and fresh ideas that they want to bring to fruition. 11 bit Studios are known for creating the Anomaly franchise, and are also headquartered in Warsaw, Poland, which means the two didn’t have to worry too much about relocating.
If you’re concerned about where the departure of two key development members is leaving The Witcher 3, you may rest soundly. Based on all accounts, the core elements of the game are completed, and even though the departure of these valuable members of the team may come as a serious blow to CD Projekt Red, The Witcher 3 is in no apparent danger. At this stage, the game is most likely in an advanced alpha or early beta stage, meaning that the work of the gameplay designers is more or less completed. The bigger question is whether or not the two were involved with CD Projekt Red’s other major project, Cyberpunk 2077, and RPG that is nowhere near as advanced in the development cycle.
Regardless, we wish the two the best of luck, and hope to see more amazing projects coming out of their capable hands, whatever company they are working for. In other Witcher 3 related news, CD Projekt Red has recently stated that they are limiting the release of their game for the Playstation 4, Xbox One and the PC. The devs cited that The Witcher 3 is far too advanced for the older Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 to handle. You may also want to take a look at some of the most recent Witcher 3 screenshots.