ALBAWABA - Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher's CD Projekt Red is under fire across the internet for allegedly hiring based on "DEI-driven Recruitment" despite its CEO taking to social media and saying otherwise.
Despite its CEO Michał Nowakowski saying that the Polish-based game studio hires people based on merit and talent alone, the studio's official website had something different written on it. The issue at hand occurred after a YouTuber named Endymion shed light on the matter.
During the video, he said, "CD Projekt Red is in absolute chaos right now based on who actually is still working there that used to work on the previous games." He then went on to add that many senior talents in the studio already left and moved on to other studios or ended up creating their own.
CD Projekt RED under fire over alleged "DEI-driven Recruitment," CEO responds
On its official website, CD Projekt Red has a section stating Diversity, Inclusion, and ESG goals. Nowakowski took to his official X account (formerly known as Twitter) and wrote in response to Endymion:
"Seems we live in times where anyone can record complete nonsense and make a story out of it. Is CDPR talent leaving? We have had the lowest rotation of people in recent years. DEI-driven recruitment? We hire based on merit and talent alone, just as we make games driven by artistic vision alone. Why did we choose UE? Because it enables us to work on our games more efficiently and we remain cutting-edge tech-wise. The Witcher 3’s director left? Well, yeah, more than 2 years ago… Now, can we stop looking for conspiracy theories and go back to making cool stuff?"
A user on X replied to him with, "You have a scholarship program that excludes men. Don't believe you," linking a recent article written on Sept. 2024 by The Park Place as evidence.
The scholarship in question was advertised as "Girls in the Game!" in hopes of getting more talented women into the gaming industry.
What is DEI?
DEI stands for Diversity, equity, and inclusion, which is a framework that aims to promote fair treatment and participation of all kinds of people across the world. It specifically aims to shed light on particular groups of people who are underrepresented or could be subjected to discrimination.
