Posted in: CD Projekt Red, Cyberpunk 2077, Games, Video Games | Tagged: CD Projekt Red, cyberpunk 2077

CD Projekt Red's Heads To Receive Bonuses Despite Cyberpunk 2077 Fail

Published Sun, 02 May 2021 16:13:09 -0500

In a move we're sure will anger a lot of fans of CD Projekt Red, an old tradition is kicking in despite Cyberpunk 2077's failure this year. In a report from Bloomberg this past week, top figureheads of the company will be receiving a massive bonus this year. The company's two CEO's, Marcin Iwinski and Adam Kicinski, are both set to receive around $6.3m to their salaries as part of an end-of-the-year bonus. That's not together, that's $6.3m EACH. The only other member getting that big a payout, according to the report, is Adam Badowski, the game's director who also serves as a board member, as he will take home $4.2m. The company will still be giving out bonuses to the rest of the staff, but not nearly as big, as Bloomberg broke down the numbers in this snipper from their article.

A live picture of Cyberpunk 2077 fans baffled at how they're getting bonuses. Courtesy of CD Projekt Red. — A live picture of *Cyberpunk 2077* fans baffled at how they're getting bonuses. Courtesy of CD Projekt Red.

Some employees told Bloomberg they will receive profit-sharing bonuses of about $5,000 to about $9,000, while other more senior employees said they will get closer to $15,000 or $20,000. Managers and directors will likely receive much higher bonuses. In a statement, a CD Projekt spokesperson said that the company had allocated a total of $29.8 million to 865 employees, for an average of about $34,000 each. (Staff also received separate, smaller performance bonuses earlier this year.)

In contrast, just five of CD Projekt's board members received bonuses totaling $28 million. CD Projekt executives did take a financial hit this year. Four board members own roughly 33% of the company's stock, which has plummeted 57% since Cyberpunk's launch. But they'll also receive more in a year of bonuses than many workers will be paid in a lifetime.

We're not going to fault the company or paying the staff who were thrown into a time crunch for getting bonuses, as they were the ones who had to bear the brunt of the backlash and saw their work get torn to shreds online. But the fact the CEO's are taking their bonuses and not, for example, kicking some of that back to the staff for the grief they've received for almost an entire year now… just just feels so out-of-touch.

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