CD Projekt Bosses Set To Receive Big Bonuses Despite Cyberpunk 2077 Launch Problems

The CEOs and other board members at CD Projekt are set to receive big, multi-million dollar bonuses this year, despite the difficult and problem-filled launch of Cyberpunk 2077.CD Projekt co-CEOs, Marcin Iwiński and Adam Kiciński, are each set to get an end-of-year bonus of 24 million zloty (approx. $6.3 million), according to the company’s annual report.

Meanwhile CD Projekt board member and director of Cyberpunk 2077, Adam Badowski, is to be awarded $4.2 million in bonuses.

As explained in a new Bloomberg report, these bonuses come via CD Projekt’s profit share system, in which 20% of the company’s annual earnings is split up and awarded to staff members. 10% of profit is shared among the board of directors, while the other 10% goes to employees. In a statement to Bloomberg, CD Projekt explained that 865 employees were part of this profit share system, with $29.8 million shared among them. Meanwhile, five board members will share $28 million.

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Talking to Bloomberg, some employees revealed that they were expected to receive between $5,000 and $9,000 in bonuses. More senior staff could get closer to $20,000. These do, naturally, pale in comparison to the multi-million dollar figures assigned to the board.

These kinds of figures are to be expected from a corporation, but they are called into question in the wake of CD Projekt’s disastrous launch of Cyberpunk 2077. The game, in development for years and eagerly awaited by fans, launched in a buggy state that was considered near unplayable on PlayStation 4. That led to a reported 30,000 refunds and Cyberpunk 2077 being removed from sale on the PlayStation Store.

By releasing Cyberpunk 2077 in its difficult state rather than waiting for it to be ‘complete’, CD Projekt suffered a steep stock price fall. Considering their disastrous decision, the board was asked during a recent investor call if it were “appropriate” that such large bonuses were awarded.

“We earned this money and the company earned this money, of course, but more net profits, more bonuses,” Kiciński said. “So well, we have results, we get bonuses, and that’s the contract we have.”

At the CD Projekt financial briefing earlier this month, the company said that Cyberpunk’s launch “has been a huge lesson for us that we shall never forget.” Despite this, 2020 was the company’s best year. Going forward, the company plans to change the way it markets its games to help avoid another Cyberpunk-style situation.

Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Entertainment Writer.