According to a recent Strategy Update video, CD Projekt has disembarked from the hype train as plans for future marketing include much shorter promotional windows.
It seems CD Projekt has learned a lot from their rather disastrous Cyberpunk 2077 launch and subsequent PR damage, going forward the studio plans to improve the way they make games, from development of the REDengine, to treatment of their employees, and external communication.
In order to enable parallel development on their two massive franchises (Cyberpunk and the Witcher series) by 2022, CDP is centralising the REDengine to serve both games at once by sharing certain functionality, like NPC behaviour and controls. The introduction of cross-functional teams and cross-project experts will also mean everyone can work on everything for more seamless development.
And gone are the days of near-decade long marketing hype, CDP will now wait until much closer to launch before revealing trailers, demos, and in-depth explainers of much-anticipated gameplay mechanics. They’re also going to manage expectations by not showing concept footage and, when we do get a glimpse of a new game, we’ll see what it actually looks like on all platforms. There will still be teasers, though. Everyone loves a tease.
On a related note, CD Projekt recently acquired Canadian game development studio Digital Scapes. The studio has been working with CD Projekt Red since 2018, supporting the development of Cyberpunk 2077, so the buyout is really just an extension of their existing relationship.