According to CD Projekt's annual financial statement, those leading the company are going to receive large bonuses, in spite of Cyberpunk 2077's rocky launch.
The game's relatively low ratings and complete pull from the PlayStation store didn't prevent Cyberpunk 2077 from going on to sell 13 million copies in the initial 10 days following the game's launch in December. The number, despite being in the millions, shows that the game underperformed compared to the expectations for copies sold. Regardless, in 2020 CD Projekt's net earnings rose by more than 500% -- the source of the bonuses for the staff and executives, as reported by Bloomberg.
A majority of the profit-sharing bonuses went to those in charge of the company, with co-CEOs Adam Kicinski and Martin Iwinski each taking home 24 million zlotky, which roughly exchanges to $6.3 million USD. Ten percent of CD Projekt's annual earnings went straight to the board, which is composed of 6 members including Kicinski and Iwinski. CD Projekt's board members received a combined total of $28 million in bonuses as a result. The remaining 865 employees received the same amount split between the entirety of them -- 10% of the net earnings -- which averaged out to about $34,000 for each employee, though senior employees of the company received more than those in lesser positions.
The financial distribution of bonuses in the company is a common trend for those working in the video games industry -- wage gaps between employees and higher-ups are common and can be quite large. CD Projekt may be rethinking its policies on employee wages in an effort to realign itself with video game industry standards, having reportedly raised wages for the lowest paid positions on the team.
CD Projekt's treatment of its employees is something that people are already familiar with, and the company's failure to live up to the expectations set by advertising campaigns for Cyberpunk 2077 is something that has divided fans of the game and studio since Cyberpunk 2077's release. On launch, Cyberpunk 2077 contained numerous bugs that plagued players' experiences and controversial decisions in the game's development, resulting in mass returns as well as price drops, lawsuits and even cyber attacks that targeted the game studio.
In spite of these events, the company has also gone on to commit itself to improving the game's quality and acknowledge the criticism that had been dealt to the company since the game's launch. Cyberpunk 2077 continues to see regular updates and fixes, and to maintain a substantial player base.
Developed by CD Projekt Red, Cyberpunk 2077 is available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Google Stadia and PC.
Source: Bloomberg
0 Comments