Update: Some changesundisclosedhave been made to the interview hosted on the CD Projekt website, subtly changing the meaning of a comment made by CDPR studio head Adam Badowski.
The interview was originally conducted in Polish and was translated to English for the website. CD Projekt is a Polish company with a lot of English speakers, but it's still possible that there was a mistranslation.
In the initial translation, Badowski was recorded as stating "The key takeaway is that diversity... and the differing sensitivities and outlooks which result from it, must not lead to conflict. In this way our teams energy can be fully directed towards creation."
The updated version now reads "and the differing sensitivities and outlooks which result from it, are not leading to conflict." On the surface it's a tiny alteration, but it's one that does affect the meaning.
Original story: CD Projekt CEO Adam Kiciski and CD Projekt Red studio head Adam Badowski have given an interview discussing the studio's approach to inclusion and diversity at the publisher.
The interview, originally given in Polish to Rzeczpospolita Daily, was translated into English for the CDP website. In it, interviewer Katarzyna Kucharczyk probes Kiciski and Badowski about how the company comes across as more vocal on diversity and injustice than other companies in the increasingly-conservative Poland.
While the interview uncritically presents CDP as a big company that just loves diversity (CD Projekt became Europe's largest gaming company in May, overtaking Ubisoft), there are still a few interesting statements from both Kiciski and Badowski regarding their approach to inclusion at the studio and how it tackles the themes of its games.
When asked about CDP's action in making the studio more diverse and inclusive, Kiciski claims that the company prides itself on its diversity, before following it up with a caveat. "We also realize that efficient operation requires active measures promoting mutual respect and tolerance". While this could optimistically be read as Kiciski saying diversity is something that should actively be worked towards, a later statement by Badowski instead paints an image of it simply meaning diversity and inclusion shouldn't rock the boat.
Talking about the importance of tolerance in the creative process, Badowski discusses how some at the studio believe in a definition of tolerance as "the capacity to respect other people's needs and opinions which we ourselves do not espouse, and to refrain from combating phenomena which we regard as evil. Others are more in line with Poppers proposition that a tolerant society, if it is to remain tolerant, must not tolerate intolerance. There are also people at our studio who disagree with both views."
While Badowski himself doesn't say which definition he ascribes to, he does say "The key takeaway is that diversity... and the differing sensitivities and outlooks which result from it, must not lead to conflict. In this way our teams energy can be fully directed towards creation."
It's worth mentioning that, over the years, CD Projekt has had numerous allegations a toxic workplace culture full of crunch and bullying. In that context, a studio heard saying his workers don't believe in "combating phenomena which we regard as evil" explains a lot more about CD Projekt as a company than Badowski may have intended it to.
More weirdness is found later in the interview, when Kiciski goes on a random tangent about how California is an "excellent example of how openness, respect and tolerance foster innovative businesses and stimulate the economy". Silicon Valley infamously suffers from a diversity problem, fuelled in part by bias hiring practices (as of 2019, only 6% of Apple's employees were Black, and only 23% of Facebook's workforce were women) and gentrification in the area pricing out those from unprivileged groups.
Kiciski even seems to imply that sexism isn't as big an issue in gaming as it is elsewhere, stating that "in the 20th century the superb writer Andre Norton (born Alice Mary Norton) chose to publish under a male pseudonym because her publisher believed that the masculinized readership demographic would not take interest in fantasy authored by a woman. There is no such issue with videogames".
While he is technically correct, games are almost always published under studio and publisher names, rather than by an individual who would need to use a pseudonym, and so isn't a fair comparison. It also completely ignores how women in the industry have once again had to speak out publicly about the harassment they've been subjected to while working in the games industrywomen may not have to work under a pseudonym, but they're still getting harassed and assaulted.
All in all, this whole interview paints a very bleak image of CD Projekt. The studio is making a cyberpunk game, a hugely political genre about the terminal nature of unrestrained capitalism, and the the studio head is here saying tolerance is about "not combating phenomena which we regard as evil". Cyberpunk 2077 will probably be a technical achievement and impressive bit of development, but this interview has all but killed my faith in it actually tackling the core politics of its genre.
See the original post:
Diversity must not lead to conflict, according to CD Projekt Red studio head (updated) - PC Gamer
- Cyberpunk 2077 Soundtrack - Bullets by Archive - YouTube - December 8th, 2016 [December 8th, 2016]
- Cyberpunk - High Tech, Low Life. /r/Cyberpunk - reddit - December 28th, 2016 [December 28th, 2016]
- Niche Spotlight - Katana ZERO: A Murderously Stylish Cyberpunk ... - Niche Gamer - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Ghost In The Shell TV Spot Ramps Up The Cyberpunk Action, Full Trailer Arrives In Time For Valentine's Day - We Got This Covered - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Donald Trump is not the cyberpunk future - The Verge - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Ghost in the Shell's Super Bowl teaser promises plenty of cyberpunk action - The Verge - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Less surreal, more cyberpunk but Prey's first hour will get inside your head - VG247 - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- It's time for cyberpunk games to remember how to be punk - PC Gamer - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- 'Star Marine' Trailer Shows Version Of 'Cyberpunk 2077' Clip [Watch] - Mobile & Apps - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- The upcoming cyberpunk shooter Static Sky calls out for alpha and beta testers - Pocket Gamer - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- 5 Cyberpunk Books to Read Before Watching 'Ghost in the Shell' - Inverse - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 Trailer Remade In Star Citizen's FPS Component - SegmentNext - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Ruiner will bring gritty cyberpunk action to Xbox One and PC with Xbox Play Anywhere - Windows Central - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Here's What Could Be In CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 - One Angry Gamer (blog) - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- Raw Fury Games to Publish Cyberpunk Adventure The Last Night ... - Hardcore Gamer - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- These Glitchy New 'Ghost In The Shell' Motion Posters Introduce The Cyberpunk Cast - UPROXX - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- Augmented Empire for Gear VR Is a Cyberpunk Gem - Tom's Guide - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- Ghost in the Shell: Tumblr and Paramount sponsor cyberpunk ... - Netimperative - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- The cyberpunk revolution begins with video games - Engadget - March 6th, 2017 [March 6th, 2017]
- Nicki Minaj Served A Cyberpunk Lil' Kim Look At Paris Fashion Week - NYLON - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk Hacking Game "Darknet" For PlayStation VR Arrives ... - COGconnected (press release) - March 9th, 2017 [March 9th, 2017]
- Here's Why Cyberpunk 2077 Could Feature Gore And Nudity - One Angry Gamer (blog) - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk thriller Ruiner is here to smash you in the face - VG247 - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Digital love: why cinema can't get enough of cyberpunk - The Guardian (blog) - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- 'Ghost in the Shell' is more cyberposeur than cyberpunk - Engadget - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action on Steam - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Here's The Latest Rumors Regarding Cyberpunk 2077 And Its E3 Appearance - One Angry Gamer (blog) - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk Is Now Reality | The American Conservative - The American Conservative - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- CD Projekt Red Reveals It's Being Blackmailed For Stolen 'Cyberpunk 2077' Files - Forbes - June 8th, 2017 [June 8th, 2017]
- CD Projekt Red Defy Ransom Demands For Early Cyberpunk 2077 Design Docs - TheSixthAxis - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- CD Projekt RED's Cyberpunk 2077 game has been hacked by real cyberpunks - Metro - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- 'Cyberpunk 2077' Leaks: Hackers steal internal files from CD ... - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- Hackers threaten CD Projekt Red with stolen Cyberpunk 2077 ... - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 - PC - IGN - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- CD Projekt Red: "Cyberpunk 2077" Files Are Being Ransomed - HardOCP - June 10th, 2017 [June 10th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 Design Documents Being Held For Ransom, CD ... - June 10th, 2017 [June 10th, 2017]
- Witcher 3 developers won't bow to extortion for stolen Cyberpunk ... - Network World - June 11th, 2017 [June 11th, 2017]
- Designer of cyberpunk indie The Last Night speaks out as Twitter ... - Polygon - June 13th, 2017 [June 13th, 2017]
- E3 2017: The Last Night revealed, shows off an incredibly stylized Cyberpunk world - GameZone - June 14th, 2017 [June 14th, 2017]
- Watch some of mind-hacking cyberpunk horror Observer, from the devs behind Layers of Fear - PCGamesN - June 16th, 2017 [June 16th, 2017]
- The Last Night was one of E3's most dazzling games and also its most frustrating - The Verge - June 17th, 2017 [June 17th, 2017]
- Snatcher Is Cyberpunk Noir At Its Best - Kotaku - Kotaku - June 17th, 2017 [June 17th, 2017]
- Snatcher Is Cyberpunk Noir At Its Best - Kotaku Australia - June 18th, 2017 [June 18th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk adventure 2064: Read Only Memories is coming to Switch - Eurogamer.net - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- The Devil Wears Prada Release Cyberpunk 'Worldwide' Video - Loudwire - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- 23 Best Cyberpunk Books - The Best Sci Fi Books - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- 'Cyberpunk 2077' release Date: The game is far bigger than 'The Witcher 3' - Blasting News - June 24th, 2017 [June 24th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 Job Hiring Details Proprietary Level Design Through RedEngine 4 - One Angry Gamer (blog) - June 24th, 2017 [June 24th, 2017]
- Voice of Geralt from The Witcher Series Stars in Upcoming VR Cyberpunk RPG - Twinfinite - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- Layers of Fear devs on psychological rape in their cyberpunk horror Observer - PCGamesN - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- The Last Jedi trailer gets a cyberpunk-as-hell remake - A.V. Club - June 29th, 2017 [June 29th, 2017]
- The Geniuses Behind Texhnolyze - Crunchyroll News - July 3rd, 2017 [July 3rd, 2017]
- Beat cyberpunk gangs to free turfs in Neon City Riders, now on Kickstarter - IND13 - July 8th, 2017 [July 8th, 2017]
- 'Deus Ex' Mods: GMDX 9.0 release brings the cyberpunk classic into ... - Mic - July 10th, 2017 [July 10th, 2017]
- Is Net Neutrality Cyberpunk? - Motherboard - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]
- Making Cyberpunk: when Mike Pondsmith met CD Projekt Red - Eurogamer.net - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]
- Mike Pondsmith Talks Creating Cyberpunk 2077 With CD Projekt Red - One Angry Gamer (blog) - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 Will Have Journalist/Executive Classes, Mike ... - Wccftech - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]
- RoboCop at 30: how its cyberpunk vision of the future became a reality - iNews - July 15th, 2017 [July 15th, 2017]
- CD Projekt RED will make Cyberpunk 2077 feel authentic - TweakTown - July 15th, 2017 [July 15th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 release date, trailer and news | TechRadar - TechRadar - July 15th, 2017 [July 15th, 2017]
- Cyberpunks creator on helping CD Projekt Red stay true to ... - July 15th, 2017 [July 15th, 2017]
- Void Star is a beautiful novel about connections in our cybernetic future - The Verge - July 16th, 2017 [July 16th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 Classes Are Unconventional, Include Journalist, Executive - SegmentNext - July 16th, 2017 [July 16th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk Creator Gives His Own Thoughts On Cyberpunk 2077 ... - July 16th, 2017 [July 16th, 2017]
- Playable Classes In Cyberpunk 2077: Journalist And Executive - Gameranx (blog) - July 17th, 2017 [July 17th, 2017]
- Run your own evil megacorporation in Spinnortality, a dystopian strategy game - PC Gamer - July 18th, 2017 [July 18th, 2017]
- Competition: Watch The Jetwalls In Cyberpunk Motorcycle Game Qbike - VRFocus - July 20th, 2017 [July 20th, 2017]
- 'Cyberpunk 2077' Update: Different playable character classes - Blasting News - July 21st, 2017 [July 21st, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 'Hidden Horror' Game Observer Releasing on August 15 for PC/XO/PS4 - Wccftech - July 21st, 2017 [July 21st, 2017]
- Layers of Fear Dev's Cyberpunk Horror Game Observer Launches ... - DualShockers - July 21st, 2017 [July 21st, 2017]
- Cyberpunk Innovators Outline Blackpills' Sci-Fi Lineup - Den of Geek US - July 21st, 2017 [July 21st, 2017]
- 'Blade Runner 2049' brings cyberpunk LA to San Diego Comic-Con - CNET - July 21st, 2017 [July 21st, 2017]
- Fight Or Recruit Superpowered Street Gangs In Cyberpunk Action/Adventure Game Neon City Riders - Siliconera - July 22nd, 2017 [July 22nd, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 to Have Destructible Environments & Reactive Physics - COGconnected - July 26th, 2017 [July 26th, 2017]
- Rutger Hauer Stars as a Neural-Detective in New Cyberpunk Horror-Thriller Game Observer - Niche Gamer - July 27th, 2017 [July 27th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 Might Feature Destructible Environments ... - SegmentNext - July 27th, 2017 [July 27th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 Dev Team Expansion Reveals Graphics To Be ... - One Angry Gamer (blog) - July 29th, 2017 [July 29th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 To Feature Photorealistic Environments ... - SegmentNext - July 29th, 2017 [July 29th, 2017]
- Observer's cyberpunk hallucinations are like being trapped in a Tool video - PC Gamer - July 29th, 2017 [July 29th, 2017]