CD Projekt’s new joint CEO Adam Badowski revealed plans to incorporate AI into the studio’s development cycle and also offered updates on the upcoming The Witcher And Cyberpunk 2077 follow-up.
In a interview with ReutersBadowski revealed that CD Projekt has formed a team to look at the applications of AI for game development. “We think AI is something that can help improve certain processes in game production, but cannot replace humans,” the joint CEO said.
Badowski also dropped some hints about what should happen next Witcher And Cyberpunk are doing. CD Projekt wants to start production of ‘Polaris’ – the code name for the next one Witcher game – this year. “We want to have about 400 people working on the project by the middle of this year,” Badowski explains.
The Cyberpunk The sequel, codenamed ‘Orion’, is still in the conceptual phase, according to Michal Nowakowski, CD Projekt’s other joint CEO. That said, the studio’s goal is still to have 80 people working on the project by the end of the year. Reuters also reported that CD Projekt has announced the inclusion of multiplayer elements for the Cyberpunk continued, but provided no further details.
Badowski was also keen to emphasize that the studio had learned lessons Cyberpunk 2077‘s tumultuous, bug-ridden launch in 2020. “We believe we will avoid a premiere like the one we faced in the future Cyberpunk 2077,” he said.
CD Projekt isn’t the only game developer to announce a turn toward AI in recent days. Japanese powerhouse Square Enix recently announced its intention “to be aggressive in applying AI and other advanced technologies to both our content development and publishing functions.”
This isn’t CD Projekt’s first foray into the world of AI either. Cyberpunk 2077is well received Phantom freedom expansion used AI to replace a deceased voice actor who played Viktor Vektor, one of the game’s main supporting characters.
Whatever form this new push for AI takes for CD Projekt, we sincerely hope it doesn’t lead to more layoffs like we saw last year.
CD Projekt is responsible for part of the best RPGs And best story games ever made.