CD Projekt Red has been through a rough patch following the messy launch of Cyberpunk 2077, but the company can always rely on The Witcher franchise. As recently reported by CDPR, The Witcher 3 has now sold over 30 million copies, with an additional 2 million+ copies selling in 2020. Unfortunately, it seems even this part of CDPR’s business is under threat, as today it was revealed The Witcher 3’s lead director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz has resigned from the Polish company amid allegations of workplace bullying.
According to a report from Bloomberg, CDPR conducted a months-long investigation into Tomaszkiewicz’ behavior, which ultimately found him not guilty of wrongdoing. Nevertheless, Tomaszkiewicz announced he was leaving CDPR in an email to staff, in which he acknowledged he had created “bad blood” within the company and left many with feelings of “fear, stress or discomfort when working with me.” More specific details about what Tomaszkiewicz was accused of have not come to light.
In his email, Tomaszkiewicz insisted he was “going to continue working on myself,” and in a statement to Bloomberg said he was “sad, a bit disappointed, and resigned” about leaving CDPR. Meanwhile, CD Projekt Red itself has declined to comment on the matter.
In addition to directing The Witcher 3, Konrad Tomaszkiewicz was a secondary director and producer for Cyberpunk 2077, and was expected to again step into a leadership role for CDPR’s next major Witcher project. Obviously CDPR is bigger than just one man, but needless to say, Tomaszkiewicz’ departure is a pretty major blow to a company that’s already absorbed a lot of them over the past few months.
So, what are your thoughts on all of this? Are you concerned about the future of The Witcher franchise? Or can CD Projekt Red produce yet another great Geralt adventure even without Tomaszkiewicz?
