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Is All Not Well at CD Projekt Red? (Trend in Glassdoor Reviews)
- Thread starter Maligna
- Start date
The à¹ÛBronx
Member
People's CDPR defence shields are going to take a beating today. Sad to see people rush to dismiss it as being false because it doesn't marry with their views of CDPR from being a consumer.
See the below and other remarks in the thread from people in the industry.
See the below and other remarks in the thread from people in the industry.
Soul of the Beast
Member
What happened to Polish??
Several of the things mentioned in those reviews have been known since W1.
I have found it to be pretty legit.
UserDoesNotExist
Member
You'd think people would have learned by now that it's idiotic to start picking up pitchforks based on anonymous sources on the Internet. That's not being a corporate apologist (hell, I don't even like The Witcher), that's just a basic understanding of the way the Internet works.
Cuningas de Häme
Member
This. There is certain part of GAF tha love to jump in the hatewagon, be it any kind of controversy or "controversy".
Poland is not the same as normal Western country. It is from the Soviet block, and that really messed their collective mind. Especially because they have always been ridiculously nationalistic (defender of Europe from Islam etc.). Imagine the humiliation, when your people has taught to think that you are the best of the best, and then comes first Germany and then you are left under Soviet rule. Those things pass down to new generations.
If you are a regular Joe from somewhere more civilized (yes, I think that is the right word) you are bound to get a pretty hard culture shock. I am sure that pay is lower for what you are used to also.
And of course they have millions of problems in the company after rapid growth. I was in a company that tripled their manforce in the course of few months and it was a shitshow. Too many new who don't understand how the company works and management is stretched so thin that they could snap. It is normal and if the company can get over that tough transition period with most of the old ones still sane and working for the company, great.
I don't envy nobody who goes to work for them. It is not an easy place.
And that sample size... Negative reviews always are the most plentiful.
Baraka Obama
Banned
Yeah I've heard EA and Ubisoft are quite good to work at too. Crunch is just part of game development and most people expect it, the problem is when you're payed poorly which from what I've heard is a common thing at CD projekt.
Aces&Eights
Member
"Sometimes paid sometimes not". This always blows me away. How can you work someone and then not pay them? If my boss did that to me I would take home some company equipment as compensation lol
That refers to overtime. The British companies I worked for also sometimes paid, sometimes not.
It's funny how everyone is throwing this argument around as soon as it's about a loved company. I'm almost positive that if this was, for instance, EA being on blast on Glassdoor, people would be like: "Well, obviously, EA is evil".
Thing is, there have been stories about CD Projekt RED's issues since the release of The Witcher 1. I mean, it's not surprising, CD Projekt RED was a small company that suddenly and drastically grew in size, it wouldn't be the first time that the heads at such a company can't handle the sudden influx of workforce.
Well go back on replies and see people hand waving away Naughty Dog's Hell on Earth and Heaven crunch cycles because "at least they are open and proud about it". If I was very cynical I would say part of it is that GAF at large loooves ND games only second to From Software.
Will people talk about R*'s management issues and hellish crunch cycles when it comes time to praise RDR2 gameplay etc. after putting in few hours? Even when that also is somewhat widely known "feature" of working for R*.
Crunch in the industry is elephant in the room that people kinda do want talk about, but not really as it could mean things like stopping playing games of certain developers and/or publishers because of principle of the thing.
wittengstein
Member
Recent headlines regarding CDPR has been really disappointing,on that note can Polish Gaf fill me in on whether CDPR is in bed with that asshole government or not?
I've read on Gaf that they got a fund from government for their projects and as a general rule of thumb in Central and Eastern Europe(especially in the case of an oppressive government),you won't get those kinds of grants unless you are publicly or privately backing them.
I've read on Gaf that they got a fund from government for their projects and as a general rule of thumb in Central and Eastern Europe(especially in the case of an oppressive government),you won't get those kinds of grants unless you are publicly or privately backing them.
MichaÅ Jaworski
Banned
Im studying IT in Poland, games are my passion. Being game creator would be a dream job for me. I can see CDP logo every day I go to work by train. I love their games but I will never work in game design (unless it is some small side indie project). Why? I did market research.
>>Next paragraph applies to gaming market as whole, not just CDP. I think this whole thing became bigger issue than it is because CDP is such a gaming media darling and they are (for good reason) one of GAF favorites<<
Lets face it - in game dev you earn less money than normal programmer working usually in java/C#/C++ - doing some web apps/solutions. Why? Its not because it requires less skill. In fact I would argue its rather tough. Whats the reason for lower wages? Game dev is for many dream job, job that attracts enthusiasts.
Those enthusiasts dont care if they are underpaid. From what Ive heard at university crunch time is real, and painful. Think overtime for half a year. Yeah I think Ill pass.
Oh and about Poland as country its not exactly Germany, but cmon. IT guys can earn a decent living here, especially when you take into consideration lower costs.
Bottom line CDP games are great, but Im gonna stick to my java classes and try to become normal programmer.
>>Next paragraph applies to gaming market as whole, not just CDP. I think this whole thing became bigger issue than it is because CDP is such a gaming media darling and they are (for good reason) one of GAF favorites<<
Lets face it - in game dev you earn less money than normal programmer working usually in java/C#/C++ - doing some web apps/solutions. Why? Its not because it requires less skill. In fact I would argue its rather tough. Whats the reason for lower wages? Game dev is for many dream job, job that attracts enthusiasts.
Those enthusiasts dont care if they are underpaid. From what Ive heard at university crunch time is real, and painful. Think overtime for half a year. Yeah I think Ill pass.
Oh and about Poland as country its not exactly Germany, but cmon. IT guys can earn a decent living here, especially when you take into consideration lower costs.
Bottom line CDP games are great, but Im gonna stick to my java classes and try to become normal programmer.
Actually no. Who is this "everyone"?
You'll see exactly the same admonishments wherever Glassdoor is used as a primary source of information. Last time I recall, the exact statements for caution were levelled were when somebody started mining Glassdoor for info on Mass Effect: Andromeda.
Case in point you can see people here claiming EA's positive rating is falsely inflated.
I'm not sure a person that makes just as many baseless suppositions has place to complain about others.
YongYea Is so cute. I've seen the video when he posted it. I wonder if CDProjeket red even read those reviews
Ya, definitely cannot draw firm conclusions from glassdoor. Who knows, it could just be 1 jaded employee? If true though it would be sad to see that the benefits from CDProjekt Red being the master of their own domain only extend to the consumers and not the employees.
seriously
culture of blame is part and parcel of any tiered managment, this stuff isn't very hard to believe.
Garrett Hawke
Member
Ah, the old the game was good so who cares.
Good working conditions should not preclude making a good product, and in many other industries you get both!
Supreme Leader Galahad
Neo Member
I wish people outside science, engineering and economic degrees would study statistics and probability, and those who study it would take it seriously, because 1 month of classes can show you the basics of what numbers to trust or not and how. Thats all ill say about another one of Gafs stupid threads.
Killroyskbg
Member
Michał Jaworski;249548502 said:
Don´t mean to be rude or anything but what is considered decent pay in Poland might not be what people from other countries consider decent. Like if you are considering a job in Germany or Poland and both wages are "decent" for their respective country the real "value" of that money is probably much higher in Germany.
A decent pay in Poland does not provide the same vacation to Hawaii as a decent pay in Germany so to speak.
LegitMcfalls
Member
Lol that was fake. i think a bunch of people left fake reviews after that video to prove that anyone can post anything on glassdoor.
cant argue with that, cdpr is shit
No, CDPR is not in bed with that asshole government, even tho one of their key employees is a brother of a Polish minister in that asshole government.
The funding it received came from the EU. The first Witcher makes fun of the current asshole government throughout the game with NPC chatter. It's a surprisingly political game. Iwinski (joint CEO) is also on record comparing the current asshole government to Trump, so yeah.
Funny that is exactly the same thing outside people said about the Glassdoor reviews of a company I previously worked at
Just for the record, I have no idea if these allegations regarding CDPR are true or not. i obviously hope they are not, as they make incredible games. Just pointing out that have seen this exact same defensive behavior of fans regarding Glassdoor before...
the_milkybar_kid
Member
Sad. I purchased TW3 on 3 separate occasions to support CDPR, as I felt they were a sort of bastion of hope in the scummy world of game development.
Adam Kiciński, CD Projekt's CEO had this to say about the Glassdoor Reviews:
Zawsze uważnie słuchamy co do powiedzenia o naszym studio mają pracownicy – zarówno obecni jak i byli. Czytaliśmy te komentarze i zdecydowanie nie jesteśmy wobec nich obojętni. Tworzenie gier o jakich marzymy wymaga nie tylko niesamowitych umiejętności, ale też pasji i zaangażowania naszego zespołu. W związku z tym, naprawdę ważne jest dla nas, żeby CD PROJEKT RED cały czas stawał się coraz lepszym miejscem pracy i dlatego wszystkie uwagi są cenne — zarówno te dobre, jak i te krytyczne.
Source
Zawsze uważnie słuchamy co do powiedzenia o naszym studio mają pracownicy – zarówno obecni jak i byli. Czytaliśmy te komentarze i zdecydowanie nie jesteśmy wobec nich obojętni. Tworzenie gier o jakich marzymy wymaga nie tylko niesamowitych umiejętności, ale też pasji i zaangażowania naszego zespołu. W związku z tym, naprawdę ważne jest dla nas, żeby CD PROJEKT RED cały czas stawał się coraz lepszym miejscem pracy i dlatego wszystkie uwagi są cenne — zarówno te dobre, jak i te krytyczne.
Source
So he's not denying the comments. Interesting.
Then again, this just reads as a standard PR response without much information.
Happy to see he didn't just dismiss them.
So, I was checking my browsing history and I noticed the Glassdoor page I'd visited some time ago and again when this thread was created... there are a few new reviews and, as expected, they certainly don't make the situation any clearer. When there are reviews that make completely contrasting statements, which one should you believe?
****
Pros
I can agree with only few of the negative reviews placed on this portal and in most cases they are highly exaggerated and subjective.
- Management cares for its employees and seeks for the top talents in entire world.
- We are working on amazing project, building a spectacular piece of art.
- There are many benefits from company like Multi Sport card or private Health Care.
- Crunch hours are being highly rewarded and planned along with developers so if someone doesn't want to stay extra hours he does not need to.
- HR Team takes care of us being well integrated, there are many events sponsored by company.
- Standard of the office (especially in Kraków studio) is very high which improves the work comfort.
- People that you work with respect your opinions and treat you well no matter of your level of experience, gender or age.
- Our work is being appreciated by supervisors.
- Salaries are decent for polish standards.Show Less
Cons
- Directors take too much on their shoulders. It slows down the workflows.
- Your career depends a lot on your charisma.
- Some people like to complain just for sport and spread rumors which shouldn't be accepted by higher management since it affects team spirit.
Advice to Management
Keep up the great work
2blackcats
Member
I think people with negative views are more likely to write these reviews.
So if the split is 50 /50 let's say, then I would assume the reality of the working environment would skew more towards the positive.
Just my take, obviously.
So if the split is 50 /50 let's say, then I would assume the reality of the working environment would skew more towards the positive.
Just my take, obviously.
Besides, I also noticed that there are cases such as that of Peter Gelencser - a known face, since he presented TW 3 at various events - who's recently returned after having left (for Ubisoft, coincidentally). I suppose he wouldn't have, if working at CDPR was objectively so terrible. Or maybe it's homesickness? Though he's Hungarian, not Poilsh.
BottleFlip
Banned
Glass door isn't a trustworthy site lol. It's too easy to put up fake reviews on there.
Thanks again for sharing that Polish documentary on The Witcher 1. Watched it last night, really interesting.
Wow, I had no idea Peter Gelencser returned. That's great.
Another notable person who moved to CD Projekt is Michal Madej - who was a Creative Director @ Ubisoft.
MosquitoSmasher
Member
Really hope there are no troubles there. CDPR is among my favorite developers right now. And I cannot wait to see what Cyberpunk is like. Problems can definitely put a delay to that.
Could our resident CDPR informant Boskee shed some light on this please?
I'd rather not. I got in trouble last time I discussed some of their internal things. I will keep posting financial stuff, there's no drama in that.
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